There's a fantastic interview with Travis Tygart of the USADA over at the Grand Rapids Press from a few days ago, conducted by David Mayo.
Listen: I don't care if you like Mayweather, Pacquiao, neither, or both. Tygart has no horse in that race and he's just speaking his mind about the "joke" that is boxing's current drug-testing system. And everyone should get a grasp on this, no matter what fighter you like.
From the interview, which I seriously recommend everyone read:
Q: Shane Mosley obviously slipped through some cracks on urine testing alone in Nevada. ...
A: "Let me correct that premise for you. The current state of drug testing done by these state commissions is a joke. They don't test for EPO. They don't test for designer steroids. They test for a basic, simple menu that anybody with a heartbeat will escape. I just hate to hear that Shane Mosley did something really sophisticated to get around their testing. No, he didn't. He would've been caught dead to rights in our program. But it doesn't take a whole lot to sidestep the simple kind of drug testing that these state commissions are doing.
"Again, I hope it's familiarity, I hope it's knowledge, because part of the growth is for entities, but also athletes, to become knowledgable about these issues. If you're a clean athlete, or you're a sport organizer, promoter, state commission, whatever, if you want to protect clean athletes' rights, you're going to put in a clean program."
about 2 years ago
Scott Christ
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Evidently, they do test for excess pizza consumption
which is about the only explanation for how James Toney was caught twice. That, or he’s just bull dumb.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
JCC Jnr
Got caught too. Surprising seeing as he is making very good money from his career fighting for almost guaranteed wins.
"Honey i forgot to duck" - Jack Dempsey
by Drunken cutman on Jan 27, 2010 5:57 AM EST up reply actions
Victor Conte recently had some comments about testing in boxing
He agreed that the current testing in boxing is worthless. He said EPO would be very beneficial for a boxer and that unannounced drug testing is needed to detect it. Conte is a scumbag, but he knows what he’s talking about.
Shady weather in May
Convenient that Grand Rapids Michigan press, hometown of PBF releasing questions asked to a “guy without a pony in the race”. Since PBF can’t legally bash and accuse Pacquiao of using PED and the fight isn’t on,(yet) I guess it is time to set up Mosley to look even worse than he already looked failing those test years ago. I all for cleaning up all sports of PED. I hate that fact that Floyd Mayweather, one of the most talented boxers I have ever seen, won’t fight the best competition simply because of his record. Pacquiao was a threat just like Oscar was for the second fight that never happened because PBF wanted to “retire”. He knew that if Oscar could get a split decision in the 1st fight, put up a good fight in the rematch and he could lose a decision to him with an Oscar friendly crowd. I guess I’m still bitter that PBF had to bring up this whole testing thing. Clearly a way out of the fight and Pacquiao being the champ gave a 50/50 split. I wonder how PBF will get out of this proposed fight with Mosley? Only time will tell
by TEXAS 2 FISTS on Jan 27, 2010 12:28 AM EST reply actions 1 recs
Nice observation about Grand Rapids Press publishing Tygart's comment.
They have Mayweather’s back, no? (Or maybe simply because Floyd is pushing for Olympic-style testing for pro boxing,)
This has nothing to do with Mayweather. This has to do with all of boxing. Period. The existing tests are a joke. The USADA has no reason to feed misinformation to the Grand Rapids Press or anyone else. The paper, I assume, went after the interview because they have readers interested in the topic. Where would you expect this turns up, the Las Vegas Review-Journal? They aren’t touching anything like this.
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on Jan 27, 2010 1:44 AM EST up reply actions
1. Mayweather doesn’t own the Grand Rapids Press.
2. The Oscar rematch met with a considerable backlash from the fans. Nobody cared to see that rematch.
3. Pacquiao and Mayweather both agreed to a 50/50 split. Don’t act like Pacquiao was being generous or something. 50/50 was the fair and right thing to do. No man deserved more then the other. Being the champ means nothing in terms of who gets the lion share. It’s all about who draws fans to buy tickets and PPVs and both of them are rather good at that.
4. Ssee SC’s comments. Right on point.
are you serious?!
’2. The Oscar rematch met with a considerbale backlash from the fans. Nobody cared to see that fight. ’
That fight would very likely have drawn even bigger numbers the second time around against the biggest cash cow in boxing. It was a good fight and close enough to be worth doing again. I remember there being infinitely more disappointment at the way the fight Didn’t happen, rather than a ‘considerable backlash’ at the mere idea of a rematch….
I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘’Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.'’ (Bernard Hopkins)
Very serious...
I don’t remember anybody clamoring for the rematch at all. We must be on two different planets man.
They were building up for a rematch at 147
That was why De La Hoya fought Forbes. Then Mayweather retired precisely BECAUSE there wasn’t interest in a Hoya rematch.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
Actually that's not quite fair
He never really said why he retired, but the timing was fortuitous.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
Ahhh ok
I must just be on my own planet with that one dude. I always remembered it as thinking/reading PBF pricing himself out of the rematch rather than lack of interest….I was disappointed they didn’t go again, anyway.
I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘’Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.'’ (Bernard Hopkins)
It’s always the feeling I’ve had. That rematch was met with general apathy in the States. The first fight was VERY big, but it also was — to be honest — very dull as far as action goes, and I don’t remember a whole lot of people coming away very impressed with what they’d seen.
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on Jan 27, 2010 5:22 PM EST up reply actions
agreed
there was more of a backlash after DLH picked Pacquiao
by steak_knife on Jan 27, 2010 10:47 PM EST up reply actions
He was very generous...
IF PBF was the champ AND P4P #1, you can bet the farm Money-May would demand a 60/40. Negotiations wouldn’t go any further till that was agreed on. Try to argue that I dare you. If you have any knowledge of PBF history of the split you know you have nothing to say. As the challenger(which PBF would be) you don’t approach THE CHAMP with demands of 50/50 and blood tests. Pacquiao gave that to him then he demands blood work with accusations of PED use. Mayweather knows how to talk and he knows Pacquiao isn’t gonna do interviews bashing Floyd. Hell the guy seems to have a hard enough time speaking english. So PBF can say “I really wanted this fight, forget the blood I just want to beat his a**”. With no intentions of signing the dotted line. Meanwhile Pacman is busy running for congress and being a great man for his country
by TEXAS 2 FISTS on Jan 27, 2010 8:16 PM EST up reply actions
you don’t approach THE CHAMP with demands of 50/50
In fights like this being the champion has very little to do with it; drawing power is the chief factor which will be considered. Seeing as Mayweather has a history of bigger PPVs but Pacquiao has a far bettere live gate record, and more recent PPV success, the 50-50 split was fair.
"Honey i forgot to duck" - Jack Dempsey
by Drunken cutman on Jan 28, 2010 5:49 AM EST up reply actions
IF PBF was the champ AND P4P #1, you can bet the farm Money-May would demand a 60/40. Negotiations wouldn’t go any further till that was agreed on. Try to argue that I dare you. If you have any knowledge of PBF history of the split you know you have nothing to say.
You live in a fantasy world where things like championship belts and having the mythical made up title of “Pound for Pound” have meaning at the negotiation table. They don’t. They only thing that matters is how much $$$$$$$$ you can bring to the table.
You think Carlos Baldomir made more money then Floyd when they fought cause he had a belt? You think Bernard Hopkins made more money then Oscar De La Hoya when they fought because he had the belt? Hell no.
The reason why Floyd didn’t ask for more then 50-50 was simple. Manny Pacquiao can draw just as many fans as Floyd Mayweather can. No more, and no less. It had nothing to do with P4P or being the champ.
Fantasy land is great
Ignorance is bliss……You just keep telling yourself that Floyd is the best. We will see in 20 years who is looked at with more prestige. Something tells me he is far behind Pacquiao. 40 watermelons versus 7 different weight classes and belts. Belts mean you are on top and someone must take that from you.
by TEXAS 2 FISTS on Jan 28, 2010 12:00 PM EST up reply actions
Your avatar is crazy
Ricky Hatton came closer to beating Manny Pacquiao than Marquez did to beating Floyd.
-SC
by The Lethal Haze on Jan 28, 2010 12:52 PM EST up reply actions
Do you even read what I write?
Ignorance is bliss……You just keep telling yourself that Floyd is the best.
Where did I say that?
Belts mean you are on top and someone must take that from you.
Championship belts signify a great achievement but they still mean dick at the negotiating table. I gave you two examples earlier which you ignored.
“Watermelons”?
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on Jan 29, 2010 12:26 AM EST up reply actions
Here we go with the "Yabut" people.... That's yeah but...
You can’t be serious! Here are the facts right in your face about the testing and people like you still make excuses for Pacquiao not taking the tests… “Again” that both fighter would be subject too. I guess since we aren’t doing the fighting it doesn’t matter but when the cheating is unfolded people seem disappointed. ie.. Margorita
If you always thought what you thought, then you wouldn't think what you knew.
by Haans Bishop on Jan 27, 2010 11:59 AM EST up reply actions
Does anyone know if Pac is having blood tests before the Clottey fight?
"It's just a job. Grass grows, birds fly, waves pound the sand. I beat people up." - Ali
No
They would have made a point to be very public about the fact that it was happening if it was.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
Probably not.. He doesn’t care. I believe he only making about $1Million for this fight which is crazy.
If you always thought what you thought, then you wouldn't think what you knew.
by Haans Bishop on Jan 27, 2010 2:53 PM EST up reply actions
I accept that boxing's testing isn't
very good, but this interview may not be completely objective. If more stringent testing is brought in could this man or his organisatation stand to make any money from it?
"Honey i forgot to duck" - Jack Dempsey
Probably? Margaret Goodman — who does not stand to make any money — has said the exact same things, without going into as much detail about things like Mosley’s situation. This is not new information. But people need to start accepting the reality that boxing’s drug testing system is laughable. Any decent fighter can cheat the system as it stands right now, and if we have learned anything from other sports, they will.
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on Jan 27, 2010 7:49 AM EST up reply actions
I don't disagree
but in ordered rank of dysfunctional problems in boxing, do we think that PED’s is top five. If so, is it purely up to state commissions to handle the problem?
I suppose I'm cast as the darkness, because I comprehended their light not at all; at least not in the way they wanted me to.
by Pops Daniels on Jan 27, 2010 10:03 AM EST up reply actions
I think they should handle it...
…but if they don’t, I don’t see any problem with fighters stipulating it in contracts.
Oh it’s top five. And I’ll say right now, this Mayweather-Pacquiao thing is going to have a lot of other guys demanding similar testing in negotiations. So someone might as well get a handle on this right now.
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on Jan 27, 2010 5:23 PM EST up reply actions
They probably could
..but that doesn’t make what he said any less true.
Well it could do
we don’t know. I am not taking a side here and don’t pertain to know much about PEDs, I was just pointing out that there may be some ulterior motive for his comments. I’m not saying there is, just that it is possible.
"Honey i forgot to duck" - Jack Dempsey
by Drunken cutman on Jan 27, 2010 10:11 AM EST up reply actions
I agree; it’s more than possible
"If you sit there and watch a person take about an hour to tie his shoestrings, then you realize that whatever problems you got ain't that significant"
---Vernon Forrest 2006
by The Midnight Rambler on Jan 27, 2010 10:32 AM EST up reply actions
Alot of things are possible
So what?
Let’s assume he’s making comments because he wants the USADA to profit off of boxing. Is this a bad thing?
Not necessarily
It just means he has a dog in the fight.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
That's fine
I get that…but unless someone can show he’s making stuff up…I don’t think it matters.
Sure it does
It makes what he says a little less credible.
Someone like Victor Conte however, who has every financial incentive to say the opposite of what he’s saying, is pretty damn credible and he’s said the same thing.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
Facts are facts
What I’m saying is, financial incentive means nothing if the facts he presented stand up to scrutiny. If they seem a bit fudged or stretched, then you have a case. Facts always trump motive.
Yes, but it's a question of establishment of the fact
I don’t think he’s wrong here, but because he does have an interest, I’m a little less likely to take the statement at face value. He’s selling drug testing in a sense, so of course he’s going to say better drug testing is needed. He’s also been outspoken about saying the NHL, NFL, MLB and NBA drug testing policies are all deficient, although those ones are light years ahead of what’s in place for boxing.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
Whats your problem? I reckon I am entitled to an opinion here. I agreed with cutman, that’s all. Spare me your sacrcasm, mate. I’ll take it if I deserve it, but you come out of the blue and I’ll respond accordingly.
"If you sit there and watch a person take about an hour to tie his shoestrings, then you realize that whatever problems you got ain't that significant"
---Vernon Forrest 2006
by The Midnight Rambler on Jan 27, 2010 12:20 PM EST up reply actions
My apologies
Didn’t mean to come off as a jerk.
peace, mate
"If you sit there and watch a person take about an hour to tie his shoestrings, then you realize that whatever problems you got ain't that significant"
---Vernon Forrest 2006
by The Midnight Rambler on Jan 27, 2010 8:45 PM EST up reply actions
Also, how soon everyone forgets how PBF failed to pay his taxes like the rest of us have to. A paragon of virtue and morality? I think not.
"If you sit there and watch a person take about an hour to tie his shoestrings, then you realize that whatever problems you got ain't that significant"
---Vernon Forrest 2006
by The Midnight Rambler on Jan 27, 2010 10:33 AM EST reply actions
What is it with boxers and taxes anyway?
Joe Louis, Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, all bankrupted by the tax man. Why the hell don’t these people just pay their taxes when they’re supposed to?
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
Maybe because of a sense of false entitlement. Some think they are above having to do it; others have no one to guide them. How a guy like PBF has no one in his camp to remind him to pay taxes has always boggled me. We do what they do and we pay big penalties.
"If you sit there and watch a person take about an hour to tie his shoestrings, then you realize that whatever problems you got ain't that significant"
---Vernon Forrest 2006
by The Midnight Rambler on Jan 27, 2010 12:22 PM EST up reply actions
This is what I think. These guys don’t know what’s going on. They know they’re making a lot of money, and they have people to ‘handle’ all their shit. I don’t think a guy like Floyd is ignorant to the fact that he has to pay taxes, but his so called friend Ellerbe should have had a ‘come to jesus’ talk about the importance of hiring a tax attorney/accountant to properly deal with this.
In a similar vein, it’s like when Mike Tyson got charged with rape and his people hired a tax attorney to defend him. Mike doesn’t know any better. Regardless of whether he raped the girl, his ‘friends’ didn’t do him any good by getting a plumber to fix his electrical problem.
"Yes Gina, I am a Wise Cracker"
Yes, that too. Just plain stupid. For every guy like Dana Rosenblatt who went on to a successful buisness career after boxing, there are 200 who don’t have a clue. I have written about this etensively in the past to wit: ’How do you spell annuity"" Financial advice for boxers is a simple thing to perform; the problem is the boxers must want it first. John Ruiz is a great example of someone who has been given great advice over the years, Holyfield is not.
"If you sit there and watch a person take about an hour to tie his shoestrings, then you realize that whatever problems you got ain't that significant"
---Vernon Forrest 2006
by The Midnight Rambler on Jan 27, 2010 12:36 PM EST up reply actions
Willie Nelson,
Pete Rose, Wesley Snipes…..
I suppose I'm cast as the darkness, because I comprehended their light not at all; at least not in the way they wanted me to.
by Pops Daniels on Jan 27, 2010 12:27 PM EST up reply actions
Snipes always puzzled me. Did he forget? Unreal.
"If you sit there and watch a person take about an hour to tie his shoestrings, then you realize that whatever problems you got ain't that significant"
---Vernon Forrest 2006
by The Midnight Rambler on Jan 27, 2010 12:36 PM EST up reply actions
Tom Daschle
who was supposed to shepherd health care reform for Obama. Didn’t he “forget”?
by Don From Prov on Jan 27, 2010 3:28 PM EST up reply actions
Random politics?
Out of genuine interest; why do so many Americans seem so angry about Obama wanting health care reform? A lot of the rest of the world sees it as admirable so I am intrigued as to why he has met with such opposition.
"Honey i forgot to duck" - Jack Dempsey
by Drunken cutman on Jan 27, 2010 4:15 PM EST up reply actions
I don't know for certain
but I think it’s a combination of reasons and people against reform. 1) The legislature is not that great and doesn’t do nearly enough to change much at all. It’s been so watered down, cut up and loaded with compromising pork from special interest groups that it amounts to just more empty talk. 2) Some people are so indoctrinated by a political ideology that they simply reject out of hand anything being proposed by the opposition. Both sides are terribly guilty of this. Religiosity reigns in both camps. If one side came up with a cure for cancer the other would try to find a way to discredit it until they could claim it as their own.
I suppose I'm cast as the darkness, because I comprehended their light not at all; at least not in the way they wanted me to.
by Pops Daniels on Jan 27, 2010 4:23 PM EST up reply actions
Ta
I read about it a bit in the Economist but it seems that I would need a far better understanding of American politics to properly get to grips with it.
"Honey i forgot to duck" - Jack Dempsey
by Drunken cutman on Jan 27, 2010 4:43 PM EST up reply actions
Your point #2 is probably the biggest
Hardcore Republicans are against whatever the Democrats want, and vice versa, whether it’s something desirable or not. So the Republicans in Congress won’t vote on any well-publicised Democrat issue, since they’re afraid they’ll lose their next election if their core base refuses to vote for them.
Also, due to the remnants of Cold War propeganda, Americans have an irrational fear of the government having more of a role in anything than it absolutely needs to. I personally don’t get it. There are plenty of things the government does just fine, and things have become more inefficient, if anything, since the wave of deregulation and outside contracting started about 20 years ago.
It’s moot at this point, but the biggest mistake Obama made was actually keeping his promise of trying to reach across the aisle. If he didn’t even pretend to care about what the Republicans wanted, he could have jammed something through that 30 years from now people would see as being genius.
I won’t go any further than this, since this isn’t a political blog. I don’t have a problem with an off topic fanpost about this if people want to discuss it, as long as it doesn’t turn into a flame war.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
Also keeping in mind
That the majority of Americans, Democrat or Republican or neither, are somewhere in the middle. Just it’s impossible to get elected unless you reach out to the fringes, which means that 99% of the time the electorate needs to pick between the lesser of two evils.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
Knowing the internet
It probably will. Thanks for the information though, I find American politics very interesting, especially now I am studying American history.
"Honey i forgot to duck" - Jack Dempsey
by Drunken cutman on Jan 27, 2010 4:47 PM EST up reply actions
When I lived in Genva, Govt. health insurance worked just fine. That’s all I am going to say on this topic.
"If you sit there and watch a person take about an hour to tie his shoestrings, then you realize that whatever problems you got ain't that significant"
---Vernon Forrest 2006
by The Midnight Rambler on Jan 27, 2010 5:55 PM EST up reply actions
err, Geneva
"If you sit there and watch a person take about an hour to tie his shoestrings, then you realize that whatever problems you got ain't that significant"
---Vernon Forrest 2006
by The Midnight Rambler on Jan 27, 2010 5:55 PM EST up reply actions
What really gets me is when Republicans try to scare people by saying “if the government takes over your health insurance, you’ll have to wait for months to see a doctor.” WTF? I have to wait for months to see a doctor right now!
No politics.
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on Jan 27, 2010 6:22 PM EST up reply actions
Snipes was a denier
There’s a group of people who don’t believe that the government can legally make you pay income taxes (forgetting that there’s actually a constitutional amendment that permits it). He got advice from some folks in that group, and then just stopped paying taxes on the basis of that advice. He still had to pay his back taxes, but he didn’t go to jail for tax evasion because a jury believed him when he said that he honestly believed that it’s illegal for the government to make you pay taxes.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
I think he is out on appeal in that case.
BTW, a guy I know is doing that and I fear that one day they will come to get him. That group of people that you were referring to taught him to put everything into a trust that can’t be touched by the gov., even his house.
Every fighter has a game plan until he get's punched in the mouth.
-Mike
Listening to there accountants...Bad advise goes along way
No matter what the accountant still gets paid. Some of the advise is stupid. For instance if you made over $ 20Million dollars or so in sports as Holyfield and Tyson have, why do you you have a mortgage on a house? Again, the accountant still gets paid.
If you always thought what you thought, then you wouldn't think what you knew.
by Haans Bishop on Jan 27, 2010 2:59 PM EST up reply actions
What does his tax situation have to do with this story?
That’s what you call reaching.
Every fighter has a game plan until he get's punched in the mouth.
-Mike
He was just bringing it up
To illustrate the point that Mayweather isn’t some kind of upstanding, moral crusader for all that is fair.
"Honey i forgot to duck" - Jack Dempsey
by Drunken cutman on Jan 27, 2010 4:16 PM EST up reply actions
Duh!
Anyone who listens to him talk will know that but everybody’s got sh**. One has nothing to do with the other
Every fighter has a game plan until he get's punched in the mouth.
-Mike
Uh ok
People seem to be a bit touchy today.
"Honey i forgot to duck" - Jack Dempsey
by Drunken cutman on Jan 27, 2010 4:45 PM EST up reply actions
Yeah, I know. I colluded in that as well.
"If you sit there and watch a person take about an hour to tie his shoestrings, then you realize that whatever problems you got ain't that significant"
---Vernon Forrest 2006
by The Midnight Rambler on Jan 27, 2010 5:57 PM EST up reply actions
Nice.
"If you sit there and watch a person take about an hour to tie his shoestrings, then you realize that whatever problems you got ain't that significant"
---Vernon Forrest 2006
by The Midnight Rambler on Jan 27, 2010 12:23 PM EST up reply actions
Well, this comment thread turned out to be somewhat less annoying than I expected it to be. So that’s nice, I guess.
I don’t think any of this is a huge surprise, is it? The only question I might have had beforehand was whether Nevada’s system was much better than other states’ systems, which I doubted. I certainly didn’t expect the vast majority of state boxing commissions (Texas? Mississippi?) to have rigorous testing regimes in place. To quote Dennis Miller before he became a right-winger, the states can’t even pave f***ing roads.
So yeah, there ought to be better PED testing in boxing. I think everyone can agree on that principle, although the details can get messy. I also think drawing overly broad conclusions with respect to the particular case of the Floyd-Manny negotiations is a temptation that should be avoided. If I’m reading Tygart’s responses correctly, the Pacquiao camp’s position in the negotiations wasn’t necessarily all that bad. The important issue isn’t how many days before the fight you stop testing; it’s whether the fighters are given advance warning about the tests during the period when the tests are being given.
Q: One other thing I wanted to touch base with you on — when the Mayweather-Pacquiao discussions finally fell apart at the beginning of the month, it came down to a 10-day differential; Mayweather bent to ’I’ll agree to 14 days prior to the event when there will be no blood testing,’ and Pacquiao wouldn’t go later than 24 days. Even if Mayweather had yielded to 24 days, what can an athlete do in 24 days? I mean, if you’re clean 24 days before the fight, what can you do in the next 24 days that would have any impact on the fight whatsoever?
A: “The human growth hormone for sure, levels of testosterone, and other designer steroids. Sounds like you’ve got some information — I’m not agreeing factually that was the difference, and I’m not disagreeing. But if that’s the case, the other piece is that, prior to that 14-day or 24-day blackout period, what system was in place? Were you just using the Nevada, or the state of California, system? If that’s the case, I’m not worried about the 14-day or the 24-day blackout period, I’m worried about the rest of it. If someone’s telling you that’s where it fell apart, I think you’ve got to add the follow-up, ‘Well, what kind of testing was going to happen before the 14-day or the 24-day blackout period?’ The 14-day period, I’m a lot less concerned about that than what you’re doing in the two months before that 14-day period.”
by taco pal on Jan 27, 2010 12:49 PM EST reply actions 2 recs
Great post
"If you sit there and watch a person take about an hour to tie his shoestrings, then you realize that whatever problems you got ain't that significant"
---Vernon Forrest 2006
by The Midnight Rambler on Jan 27, 2010 12:58 PM EST reply actions
PBF, Bastion of Fairness?
I have a really hard time swallowing the image of Mayweather, Jr. as defender of all things fair. This is the same guy who one fight ago played fast and loose with the public and the Nevada State Athletic Commission about the contractual weight. Then he came in overweight, didn’t even attempt to work off the excess weight and beat up another fighter coming up in weight. http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=4485941
That said, boxing needs to adopt Olympic style testing, not because one fighter demanded it while making baseless accusations about another fighter, but because it will help maintain the integrity of the sport and keep the playing field relatively level. Plain and simple, it’s what’s best for the sport.
I agree 110%
"If you sit there and watch a person take about an hour to tie his shoestrings, then you realize that whatever problems you got ain't that significant"
---Vernon Forrest 2006
by The Midnight Rambler on Jan 27, 2010 1:40 PM EST up reply actions
very well put
I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘’Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.'’ (Bernard Hopkins)
Everybody has faults
And we’ve all been hypocrites at one point or another in life. Anybody who claims otherwise is a lying.
So because Floyd Mayweather isn’t a perfect human being, we judge everything against that?
thats not what I/he meant at all
and you know that , really ;)
The point is that more stringent testing should be adopted across the board in boxing because it needs to be generally. Everyone agrees on that. No-one looking at the current testing procedures in any detail would argue that it was sufficent, and this whole thing made that clear to me and I guess quite a few people. And that was the positive part of PBF’s demand for the testing.
We’re not judging him as a hypocrite or for not being a perfect human being. Its just questioning the motivation for that demand, and you can only base that on what you know about him from his actions in the past, and its not unreasonable to look on the weight move with JMM as an extremely poor reflection of his character, although unfair to judge him on that in isolation.
I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘’Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.'’ (Bernard Hopkins)
….although unfair to judge him on that in isolation…..
Basically that was my point.
I could have done just the opposite and chosen Floyd’s charity work as an example of Floyd’s good heart, thus making the case that he was operating with good intentions when making the drug testing demands. There are other examples of things he’s done wrong that could be cited as well to counter that.
At the end of the day everybody has a perception of Floyd Mayweather Jr. already and will selectively choose examples, good or bad, to validate that perception. I just think that if you don’t know someone personally you can’t really make a judgement about their motivations.
I agree in essence with the last statement in particular.
However, it could and has been argued that if he was that concerned about the level of drug testing in the sport, he would have requested it against JMM before coming back. And it could equally be argued that the weight move shows a character who likes to tilt the scales in his favor, even when its not necessary (being a Very heavy favorite against JMM). And its unlikely in the extreme that he didn’t know ut the post Morales Pac comments re giving blood.
It kind of cuts both ways hey, you can’t say for certain its altruism or a way of accusing Pac of being on steroids, without knowing him. There were kind of enough unsubtle hints/insinuations prior to negotiations anyway from the PBF camp. That doesn’t take away the fact that more strenous testing does need to be done all round, and the view that ’Pac’s passed all the tests, he’s clean’ is not really a song to sing anymore.
I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘’Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.'’ (Bernard Hopkins)
PERCEPTIONS CHANGE BASED ON CHANGING CIRCUMSTANCES. HAD PBF DONE THIS BEFORE, I’D HAVE NO ISSUE, BUT TO DO IT NOW SUGGESTS A CONCERN FOR PROTECTING HIS “0,” OR AT LEAST TO ME IT DOES. At the end of the day, howevere, anyone who walks away from this kind of money raises suspicions—including both Pac and PBF.
"If you sit there and watch a person take about an hour to tie his shoestrings, then you realize that whatever problems you got ain't that significant"
---Vernon Forrest 2006
by The Midnight Rambler on Jan 27, 2010 8:37 PM EST up reply actions
Well said, BB
"If you sit there and watch a person take about an hour to tie his shoestrings, then you realize that whatever problems you got ain't that significant"
---Vernon Forrest 2006
by The Midnight Rambler on Jan 27, 2010 5:58 PM EST up reply actions
We’re not judging him as a hypocrite or for not being a perfect human being. Its just questioning the motivation for that demand
But what was posted in the original topic here is not about Floyd Mayweather. People are making it about Floyd Mayweather. And why are they even doing that? What good reason is there to ignore that the boxing testing stinks? “I don’t like Floyd Mayweather, so I don’t buy into this. Hey this guy might benefit if his company does the testing!”
What on earth are people so terrified of here?
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on Jan 27, 2010 6:24 PM EST up reply actions
Hey this guy might benefit if his company does the testing!"
I hope that isn’t how I came across, all I was saying was that the guy may not be being completely objective. Of course I agree that the testing stinks and needs to be impoved.
"Honey i forgot to duck" - Jack Dempsey
by Drunken cutman on Jan 28, 2010 5:53 AM EST up reply actions
I just meant
‘we’ in the sense of agreeing with what AsianSensation said, and TheMidnightRambler, rather than implying that it was everyone/making that to be the main topic. The only reason drug testing’s being discussed now is because of PBF, so he’s going to come into it to some extent.
I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘’Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.'’ (Bernard Hopkins)
Great read
I don’t know how much clearer you can be on the subject.
I doubt this changes much though cause I’m sure it’s been heard before but at least now, it’s more known to everyone actually interested
Most sports
have the same problem. Would be great to see it cleared up, but it ain’t going to happen in a demand—with implications—from one fighter to another, not on a universal scale anyway.
Well, archers don’t have this issue…..
"If you sit there and watch a person take about an hour to tie his shoestrings, then you realize that whatever problems you got ain't that significant"
---Vernon Forrest 2006
by The Midnight Rambler on Jan 27, 2010 5:58 PM EST up reply actions
I would think that archers would actually have this issue because of drugs that would be muscle relaxers and drugs that slow the breathing down(diazepam), would be infinitely helpful for aiming. I mean i just thought of a way that drugs can help you in archery, thats got to say something about the prevalence of drugs in this country (US)…..
by Waldo Rastel on Jan 28, 2010 3:40 PM EST up reply actions
Plus they could kill someone
"If you sit there and watch a person take about an hour to tie his shoestrings, then you realize that whatever problems you got ain't that significant"
---Vernon Forrest 2006
by The Midnight Rambler on Jan 28, 2010 8:19 PM EST up reply actions
“For everyone, whether you wager, whether you’re a fan, you ought to be disappointed if you’re not getting what you pay for. So, hopefully, clean athletes, and those who value playing by the rules, will stand behind a Mayweather, and others, who hopefully will come forward and demand it.”
Best part of the interview.
Twitter: @FlyByKnite
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