By Frank Lotierzo
Ever since current WBO welterweight title holder Manny Pacquiao blitzed Ricky Hatton–who was trained by Floyd Mayweather Sr. for the fight–in two rounds back in May of this year, Floyd Mayweather Sr. has contested that Pacquiao has been taking HGH and performance enhancing drugs. In fact Floyd Sr. has stirred the pot so much with his allegations of Pacquiao taking PED’s that Manny will be tested Olympic style in the weeks leading before his fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. in March of 2010.
Last month Floyd Mayweather Sr. told Sports Illustrated that after seeing Pacquiao take Miguel Cotto’s Sunday left hook unflinchingly during their fight, he believes Manny was aided by some illegal substances and worried about his son Floyd Jr. fighting him while he was under the influence of them. Which is laughable. Even more laughable than Mayweather Sr’s accusations is the fact that he doesn’t even believe what he’s put out there.
Actually, Floyd Sr. would love for Pacquiao to be on some type of steroid or HGH when he meets his son in three months. And the reason for that is he’s fully aware that there’s no drug or supplement available to anyone which helps a fighter take a better punch than he would if his system were free of them. Such a drug or steroid that transforms a fighter into a puncher via a bottle or needle doesn’t exist, at least not in 2009. And if you’ve ever been around fighters who have experimented with them looking for an edge, you’d know they did nothing for them but mess up their body chemistry.
Some fans and writers even believe to this day that Aaron Pryor had something in the little black bottle that Panama Lewis concocted for his first fight with Alexis Arguello, and that enabled “The Hawk” to take a massive right to the chin from Arguello in the 13th round that must have been heard around the world when it landed. Then after drinking whatever was in the black bottle Pryor was able to come roaring back to stop Arguello in the 14th round. Maybe in a Rocky movie but not in the real world.
I hate to ruin the myth for those who believe Pryor won the fight with a little help, but Pryor had nothing aiding him during his first fight with Alexis Arguello that helped him come out on top. And if he did he brought it with him for the rematch which turned out to be a repeat of the first fight - only it lasted four less rounds 10 months later.
Oh, and Lewis decided to only use it for that fight and the magic energy potion is locked away forever along with the horse-hair that was removed from Luis Resto’s gloves right before he fought Billy Collins Jr. at Madison Square Garden in 1983. What’s more is if Manny Pacquiao is really ingesting some form of performance enhancing drugs or supplements (which I don’t believe he is) and it really has improved his chin and durability along with increasing his punching power, shame on the Mayweather camp for not knowing about it and getting it for Floyd Mayweather Jr. to take before fighting Pacquiao so the fight can be contested on more even terms.
Here’s the deal—pay no attention to what Floyd Mayweather Sr. has been spewing about Manny Pacquiao taking performance enhancing supplements and drugs. It’s nothing more than subterfuge and a way for Floyd Sr. to inject himself into the biggest fight of the last 10 years. Remember, if such a supplement existed that helped fighters raise their pain resistance and increase their power every trainer in boxing would know about it, not just Panama Lewis and perhaps Freddie Roach.
Manny Pacquiao takes a great punch because he is a phenomenal athlete and physical specimen. Manny can really punch with both hands and take it to the head and body because he was blessed with those physical and mental gifts at birth. If he beats Floyd Mayweather when they meet next year, it’ll be for no other reason than he’s a greater fighter. And if he loses to him it won’t be because he couldn’t get over on the Nevada Commission this time and couldn’t take supplements or other performance enhancing drugs. It’ll be because Floyd Mayweather was the greater fighter.
For the record, Pacquiao has already tested clean 10 times without any trace of PED’s found in his system by the Nevada Athletic Commission. But everyone knows that hasn’t kept Mayweather Sr. from continuing to insist that he’s using them. The unfortunate part of the accusations that he’s tossed at Pacquiao is some fans and writers will begin to buy into them if they haven’t already.
If Mayweather Sr. even had a clue as to what a steroid user looked like, he’d see Pacquiao doesn’t even look like he uses steroids or HGH. He’s still a small guy with huge legs (as opposed to the huge guy/tiny legs model of juice usage.) Pacquiao is now 30 years old and has filled out and matured physically later in life than most fighters in the lower weight divisions. The weight and size he’s put on has come as a result of that and via a natural process.
Lastly, if there was some magic drug or supplement available that really worked and gave a fighter more punch resistance and/or added power I wouldn’t put it past Manny Pacquiao or Floyd Mayweather along with any other world class fighter taking them, because all fighters are always looking for an edge to get one up on their peers.
The trouble is it can’t be gained through a bottle, needle or HGH regardless of what Floyd Mayweather Sr. implies. read more
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3:12 pm
The obvious one who’s on steroids is none other than F.Mayweather Jr. He was out of boxing for a very long time yet he came back with speed & big muscles during his fight with the urine-drinker J.M.Marquez. Look at FMJ’s body & muscles in recent fights, excessively rich and plain body-builder-big! Big body & muscles like that should slow the person considerably and also produces more substances that tire his own body (lactic acid if I’m not mistaken). He shouldn’t be that quick, his body should exhaust easier, his legs heavier as the fight progressed. Just apparent PED-using results! You Pac-haters may answer that FMJ is just a different athlete, that’s why, and criticize Pac for his own exciting performance? Sheesh. FMJ should have been very rusty & less mascular. His alibi of still training during his long absence is dubious, especially with all his financial turmoil.
While JMM was good at the lower weights, never it would seem at the higher ones, he just can’t pack that much muscle and still be effective. He’ll never be great with respect to that category in greatness. You fellows were booing him over & over before but now are rallying behind him becoz he’s d only 1 left to look up on to. Even if he won his 2 fights with Pac before, it wouldn’t be convincing, wouldn’t be sensational, just on points. You Pac-haters say R.Hatton was a shot fighter after Pacman devastatingly KOed him, and now JMM considers fighting RH? Eh? If you haters claim that RH was washed-out & made-to-order then why would JMM consider fighting him? I doubt JMM will dominate RH. Probably it will be the other way around. Style make fights afterall. Just becoz Pac wasn’t able to demolish JMM, doesn’t mean RH won’t. Don’t count RH out yet.
Again, the obvious drug user is FMJ! His claim of Pac using such is absurd! He’s just trying to belittle Pac & do character assassination. He came up with his baseless accusation becoz he’s the one using it all his fights. To FMJ (and to FMSr., all those envying personages, and the racists): stop slandering, quit being foul-mouthed, be an exemplar for the sport of boxing! If you don’t want to fight Pac, then fight the other welterwts already! There’s Mosley, Cotto, Margarito, Williams & Clottey in the corner. Cease cherry-picking smaller boxers. Transcend the sport if you can, just like how the smaller Pac already did! Pac made history, legacy! Boxing-haters felt boxing is dead for a long time, quite true, but since Pac’s arrival to the sport at the lower weights years ago, boxing is a household word again. Even Pac’s old foes, the triad, particularly JMM, are popular today becoz of Pac’s previous battles with them. He ushered a new era for the game. Everybody, pls be grateful of Pacman’s historical & impacting contributions to pro boxing. Manny Pacquiao, not just the no.1 pound-4-pound today, already an All-Time-Great!