clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Manny Pacquiao, Miguel Cotto test clean in Nevada

Scott Christ is the managing editor of Bad Left Hook and has been covering boxing for SB Nation since 2006.

For those that keep thinking Manny Pacquiao might be on performance-enhancing drugs, he's not. Neither is Miguel Cotto. Both tested clean in the post-fight drug test from their November 14 bout. From Sports Illustrated:

Pacquiao, who became the first boxer to win seven championships in as many weight classes, underwent urine tests twice -- before and after the fight -- and both came back negative, said Keith Kizer, executive director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission. It's the the 10th time the Filipino has turned in clean tests in Nevada.

Immediately following his win over Cotto, fans inside the MGM Grand Arena pleaded for a megafight with Floyd Mayweather Jr., who many have regarded as the top pound-for-pound fighter since his return in September. In response to the expected fanfare, Floyd Mayweather Sr. publicly accused Pacquiao of taking steroids.

...

Pacquiao has been bombarded with accusations of doping, having conquered seven weight divisions since entering the sport at 106 pounds when he was 16. And after Mayweather Sr.'s comments following the Nov. 14 bout, there has been speculation that if a megafight between Floyd Jr. and Pacquiao is agreed upon, Mayweather's camp may place stipulations in the fight contract that would require both fighters to take separate, mandatory drug tests in addition to the required tests by state athletic commissions.

I've been OK talking about public perception, with voices like Floyd Sr., Paulie Malignaggi, Kermit Cintron and Jeff Mayweather saying either they thought something was up, or that there are many feel as though there is and nobody is saying it because, well, they have no proof.

But now I'll just say what I really feel: None of those guys know how PEDs work, none of them have any proof whatsoever, and they've all been talking out of their hindquarters, either for attention or because they're just that foolish. It's a risky thing to start accusing anyone of doping, and particularly risky when Pacquiao is now at ten fights without a failed drug test in Nevada.

I even understand the thought coming into someone's head these days. With our current sports climate, acts of greatness are doubted in this way. It's going to happen. But this looks like an instance where we need to sit back and just all say, "Wow, we are witnessing something remarkable with Manny Pacquiao."

Sign up for the newsletter Sign up for the Bad Left Hook Daily Roundup newsletter!

A daily roundup of all your global boxing news from Bad Left Hook