Straight Writes and Jabs: An Inside Look at Another Year in Boxing

The PED Mess

This was the most important article I wrote in 2012. The PED Mess PART ONE On December 30, 2009, Manny Pacquiao sued Floyd Mayweather Jr, Floyd Sr (Mayweather’s father), Roger Mayweather (Floyd’s uncle and trainer), Mayweather Promotions, Richard Schaefer, and Oscar De La Hoya for defamation. Pacquiao’s complaint, filed in the United States District Court of Nevada, alleged that each of the defendants had falsely accused him of using, and continuing to use, illegal performance enhancing drugs. Mayweather has gone to great lengths to position himself in the public mind as a “clean” fighter. For his three most recent fights (against Shane Mosley,Victor Ortiz, and Miguel Cotto), he has mandated that he and his opponent be subjected to what he calls “Olympic-style testing” by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). USADA is an independent non-governmental sports drug-testing agency whose services are utilized by the United States Olympic and Paralympic movement. It receives approximately $10,000,000 annually in public funding; more in years when the Olympics are held. USADA was paid a reported $100,000 per fight for the drug-testing services that it performed in conjunction with Mayweather’s outings. Victor Conte is one of the most knowledgeable people in sports with regard to the use of, and testing for, performance enhancing drugs. In 1984, Conte founded the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative (BALCO), which was at the heart of several much-publicized PED scandals. In 2005, he pled guilty to charges of illegal steroid distribution and tax fraud and spent four months in prison. After being released from incarceration, Conte moved to the side of the angels and is now a formidable advocate for “clean” sport. “Mayweather is not doing Olympic-style testing,” Conte states.“I’ve never liked the use of that phrase.‘Olympic’ means 24-7-365.To be effecSTRAIGHT WRITES AND JABS 129 tive, drug testing has to be twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.The benefits that an athlete retains from using anabolic steroids and certain other PEDs carry over for months.That means athletes can develop their strength and speed base early and the benefits of PED use will last after that use has been discontinued. If you wait to start testing until eight to ten weeks in advance of a fight, which is what Mayweather does, that’s not Olympic-style testing. Who knows what Mayweather or his opponent has been doing during the previous six months.” Tests for a Mayweather fight generally begin around the time of the kick-off press tour heralding Floyd’s annual ring appearance. Floyd and his opponent agree to keep USADA advised as to their whereabouts and submit to an unlimited number of unannounced blood and urine tests.Other details (such as which drugs are being tested for, how samples are analyzed , and what happens in the event of a positive test) are murky. Mayweather and his promoter (Golden Boy Promotions) have gone to great lengths to propagate the notion that they’re in the forefront of PED testing to “clean up” boxing. In return, they’ve reaped a publicrelations bonanza. But some members ofTeam Mayweather haven’t been content to simply disseminate a positive message with regard to Floyd’s conduct.They’ve chosen instead to brand Pacquiao (Mayweather’s chief rival) as a PED user. Floyd Mayweather Sr declared, “He [Pacquiao] can’t beat Clottey without that shit in him. He couldn’t beat De La Hoya without that shit. He couldn’t beat Ricky Hatton without that shit.And he couldn’t beat Cotto without that shit. I don’t even think he could beat that kid from Chicago [David Diaz] without that shit. He wouldn’t be able to beat any of those guys without enhancement drugs.” Not to be outdone, Roger Mayweather proclaimed,“This motherfucker don’t want to take the test.That’s why the fight [Mayweather vs. Pacquiao] didn’t happen. He got that shit in him.That’s why he didn’t want to take the test.” References to Pacquiao’s alleged PED use by the other defendants in the defamation action were more subtle. But their message was similar. The court case moved slowly, as litigation often does. Last year, the claims against Schaefer and De La Hoya were dismissed with the consent of Pacquiao’s attorneys after Richard and Oscar apologized and stated that 130 THOMAS HAUSER [18.117...