In the statement posted on his Facebook page, boxing enthusiast Greg Rowe said he got confirmation from two of his sources that Pacquiao has been randomly tested by USADA but he has yet to get confirmation that Mayweather has been tested at least once.
“I’ve been saying this and it is a big deal. I have confirmation from two sources that Pacquiao has been tested 8 times by USADA up until this week. 8 times in 7 weeks while I cannot get confirmation from anyone that Mayweather has been tested once yet,” Said Rowe, who owns Death Row Combat.
“This is VERY disturbing. You can find no info on it, showtimes all access show hasn’t shown it once or even hinted at it and USADA has not confirmed it. Pacquiao was tested right after leaving Jimmy Kimmel. If anyone can get me solid, credible evidence that Mayweather has indeed been tested by USADA I would appreciate it. Personally no matter where I turn I can find NO ONE to confirm he’s been tested,” he added.
According to USADA, Mayweather and Pacquiao have agreed to its program and they will be governed by the rules of the agency for their fight on May 2 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“It’s a strong statement of the importance of clean and safe competition to have these two fighters voluntarily agree to have a WADA level anti-doping program implemented for this fight. We commend them for their stand for clean sport and the message it sends to all those who want to compete clean at the highest levels of all sport,” said USADA CEO Travis T. Tygart.
The Olympic-style random blood and urine testing was a major contentious issue in the long-running fight negotiation for the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight.
During the fight negotiations, Mayweather insisted that Pacquiao submits himself to the USADA drug testing protocol which required him to be tested anytime of the day all the way up to the night of the fight. Pacquiao balked, saying he feels weak when blood samples are drawn from him on days closer to the fight. He later proposed a two-week testing window but Mayweather rejected it and the fight negotiations fell apart in the early stages of talks.
Following the signing of the contract for the May 2 fight, Pacquiao’s adviser Michael Koncz dared Mayweather to sign an agreement that will penalize him and Pacquiao if either of them are found positive for using illegal drugs.
Mayweather refused saying Koncz should have raised the penalty issue during the final contract negotiations .
“Today we were informed that Mayweather turned down the request,” Koncz said. “Manny had requested that there would be a reciprocal fine of $5 million for a failed drug test,” he added.
For his part, Leonard Ellerbe, CEO of Mayweather Promotions, said Koncz failed to understand what the contract provided on the subject.
“Michael Koncz is an idiot, and Manny Pacquiao should be ashamed to have him as his representative, in my opinion,” Ellerbe told ESPN.com. “It’s obvious he didn’t read the contract.
Ellerbe said Mayweather has already been tested as he has seen specimen collectors at Mayweather’s gym in Las Vegas but he isn’t sure how many times.
