The doping issue started with the boxing trainer with the biggest mouth in the planet- Floyd Mayweather Sr. Seeing that Manny Pacquiao has been going up in weight and demolishing presumably bigger and better opponents, even without a shred of evidence and despite the fact that Pacquiao has yet to test positive for any banned substance under the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) tests, Floyd Sr. declared that Pacquiao is on to something illegal saying that there’s no way somebody could climb up the weight ladder maintain their speed and retain their knockout power.

At first his pronouncements were considered ramblings of a sour loser, a crazy old man even. But then certain boxers just like Floyd Sr openly expressed their opinion that Manny may be on to something, boxers like Kermit Cintron and Paulie Malignaggi. How these people gathered courage to say the things they were saying without a shred of proof I have no idea. But I have to say, these guys saying those things is not only foolish but incriminatory as well. Seeing that their comments have been recorded and read by a lot of people, these comments could be evidence for libel or slander.

Manny Pacquiao’s camp however has yet to bring any legal proceeding against these folks, and rightly so. During the time that these things were being said, whoever said those were seen as jealous of Pacquiao’s success. Mayweather Sr. has only himself as his biggest fan. Kermit and Paulie, well we all know that they can and will never reach the lofty heights that elite boxers walk on. If I have to be really brutal about it, these two guys are not even fit to shine Manny Pacquiao’s shoes.

But now the dynamics has changed. The irresponsible doping allegations a few months back is now threatening to sink a fight that could potentially earn Manny Pacquaio millions in dollars, that’s at least a billion pesos right here. Can we hypothesize and say that some legal proceeding is in order? Oh yeah, and Cintron and Malignaggi and even Floyd Sr. should be feeling apprehensive right now.

The only way that these guys don’t spend a little time in court is when the blockbuster Mayweather vs Pacquiao fight pushes through. But even that is no guarantee.

So What’s All This Fuss About Manny Using PED or HGH?

PED is Performance Enhancing Drugs while HGH is Human Growth Hormones.

Clearly I am no expert in these two things, but what I am however is a diligent diligent enough researcher. And below are the things that I’ve uncovered. There are things here that makes you wonder if indeed Manny has been using PEDs or HGH. For sure Manny cannot do this on his own, and for sure if things turn really, really bad, expect one Alex Ariza to be crucified. I’m not saying anything stupid here, Alex has on more than one occasion claimed that whatever goes into Manny’s body is his responsibility so there you go.

Alright here are a couple of links/reports that you may want to read if you need a little info about these cute little acronyms:

Courson Perspective Ever Fresh for Doping in NFL, Culture

Steve Courson, an offensive lineman for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1977-85, was America’s first professional athlete to fully disclose use of anabolic steroids for performance. Courson voluntarily told his story to Sports Illustrated almost 25 years ago as an active NFL player, detailing his juicing on ‘roids from NCAA football into the league, then was blackballed from the game. Only a handful of elite athletes since Courson are comparable for open honesty in the issue; he spoke whole truth as he knew it, short of naming individuals. - this is a bit long but it discusses HGH and PED and how they are not detectable under standard testing. There’s even a worrying paragraph there about some of these drugs having only a detection window of only a few hours. Damn.

Challenges of Detecting GH Abuse – this is an excerpt of a 7 page report from an article in www.clinchem.com, Challenges in Detecting the Abuse of Growth Hormone in Sport

Physiologic challenges include a pulsatile release pattern, a short half-life of Physiologic challenges include a pulsatile release pattern, a short half-life of 20 min, and increased concentrations 2 h after exercise (17, 18 ). Although researchers can perform repeated sampling over a 24-h period to overcome the issue of pulsatility, this is not feasible in the sporting setting (19).

Traditional drug testing in sport has involved urinary sampling, but it is not viable for rhGH detection because neither GH itself nor markers of GH, which are also peptides, are secreted into the urine in sufficient and reliable quantities (20). Consequently, blood sampling is required for the detection of GH abuse. This is minimally invasive and has been accepted for use in competitive events for blood doping and erythropoietin detection.

So what do you think? Should Manny subject himself to the US Doping Agencies battery of tests just so he can put to rest all these doping allegations or should he just tell Mayweather to go screw himself and then find a new opponent or dedicate his time to his congressional bid. Your answer, is as good as mine.

I hate to do this, but here it is. Manny Pacquiao on Jimmy Kimmel Live video. I can’t really watch Manny Pacquiao outside of the boxing ring, but if that’s your cup of tea, knock yourself out watching this video.

VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP

Just saw this Manny Pacquiao video from Youtube.com. So far this is the best video compilation of the Pacman’s knockouts. I especially like the comparison between the left-hook that felled Ricky Hatton to a Pacquiao earlier fight where he lowered his guard, seemed to walk away and when his opponent came after him, boom! Awesome, awesome video.

Is this enough to daunt Miguel Cotto in their fight this November? I should think not. Miguel is a bad ass in his own right and he’s made of solid stuff. I mean the guy is built like a bull. Manny would be crazy to stand in front of him and trade punches for a full 20 second. I think the only way Manny can win if he can engage Cotto in bursts, then disappear. If he can do that, Puerto Rico will be hit by a typhoon more devastation than Typhoon Ondoy. That typhoon will be blowing in from the Pacific– Typhoon Pacquiao. There will be a flood of tears in that boxing nation should Manny Pacquiao win.

But of course the same could be said for the Philippines. Manny Pacquiao losing would be catastrophic. No pressure Manny baby, but you need to win this one.

When the dust settled in last Saturdays boxing match, Floyd Mayweather raised his hands in triumph. Juan Manuel Marquez humbly went to his corner knowing that he did everything he could and came out with nothing.

It was not just Floyd’s boxing superiority that decided the outcome of the match, there was the outside circumstances as well. During the official weigh-in Floyd came in at 146lbs, 2lbs over the stipulated weight. There was nothing Juan Manuel Marquez could do because it was in their contract that Floyd can come in up to that weight although he would have to shell out $300,000 for every pound.

True, Marquez came out $600,000 for that infraction but that one infraction virtually wiped out his chances of winning. After the weigh-in, Floyd levelled up and must have weighed close to 160lbs during fight night. Floyd was younger, faster, stronger, and heavier. What chance could Marquez have?

Some experts say that the size factor wasn’t a factor in the fight seeing that Floyd could do everything and his movements didn’t allow Marquez to connect. I beg to disagree. Floyd could do everything during the fight because he never had to worry about losing weight. Giving up $600K seems to be a calculated move for him not to punish his body and be slightly weakened during fight night. He knew that by coming into the ring as comfortably as possible makes his chances of winning airtight. What is $600K when you have a $10M purse? What is $600K when it assures you of a win. Marquez may have won the battle at the scales by coming out richer, but in so doing he lost the war.

That Mayweather didn’t have to worry about weight meant two things. First he wasn’t fighting at a weakened state, he was nimble on his toes all night, no sign of weakness from having to lose weight, and the second but more important thing, he was very, very big which meant that Marquez can hit him all night long and it wouldn’t make a difference. This you can see very clearly in the last rounds when Mayweather would just cover up and ask Marquez to hit him. Marquez was like shooting blanks, no punch he threw made Mayweather wince. You could even think that after everytime Marquez hits him a barrage of punches when he’s covering up, he was just mentally dusting himself off. That’s how ineffective Marquez’ punches were to the significantly bigger Mayweather.

The Juan Manuel Marquez vs Floyd Mayweather fight was also a win-win situation for Marquez. He was fighting a much stronger and bigger man, but he got to get his biggest payday to date. In fighting Mayweather he showed his warrior spirit and losing to Mayweather did not in anyway dent his legacy as one of Mexicos great boxers.

The same is true with Mayweather it was a win-win for him. He was assured of a victory over a name opponent, he picked up the lions share of the purse, and in so doing, he was able to settle his obligations with the IRS. All in a nights work for Money Mayweather.

Moving Forward

Marquez said that he will be campaigning in the 140lbs division and that is a very good decision. He should be getting in there with the likes of Timothy Bradley, and if Valero is willing to go up in weight, a fight with him would be fine as well. Take note that there’s no way in hell that Pacquiao is fighting him now. He would have been a shoo-in had he defeated Mayweather, but with his total defeat, he’s just no that palatable anymore. Perhaps when he clears the 140 division will Pacquiao even take a second look at him again; that is if Manny Pacquiao will still be fighting by that time.

The smart choice for Mayweather would be to wait for Pacquiao but there’s a very big barrier here. Mayweather will insist on getting the lions share and of course will not be fooled into severely losing weight to make it a level playing field. This is one for the books if Arum manages to cook a Pacquiao vs Mayweather recipe. If that happens, the fight should be called Money, Manny, Money.

Here’s a news flash! Nike and Manny Pacquiao will be releasing a new Manny Pacquiao pair of shoes on September 25th at the Nike Park, The Fort, Philippines. The new crosstraining shoes is called Lights Out and is a tribute to Manny’s knockout of Ricky Hatton last May 2.

If you’re crazy about Manny Pacquiao as I know most of you are, you might want to jump the competition and be at the Nike Park Fort early so you don’t go home crying when you go there late and everything’s sold out.

MORE PHOTOS AFTER THE JUMP

PHOTO CREDITS: KING CRUX via HYPEBEAST

Undoubtedly the hottest boxer in the planet today is Manny Pacquiao. Whenever Manny Pacquiao fights, tickets are sold out, celebrities come out to play, and the Philippine congress is virtually a ghost town.

Where can you find a boxer who’s country’s Vice President goes into the ring whenever he wins? True most of these politicians are only after the exposure and some are even hoping that by being close to the Pacman during one of Pacquia fights, they’ll get endorsed during the elections.

The next biggest fight in boxing this year will not be a fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr vs Juan Manuel Marquez, or even Manny Pacquiao vs Miguel Cotto. Truth be told, the biggest fight of the year is a Pacquiao vs fight.

Yep you only need to fill in the blanks opposite Pacquiao’s name and you would have yourself the biggest fight in the business.

It’s amazing how this simple kid from General Santos City, Philippines has captured the boxing world’s, scratch that, the world’s imagination. Sometimes I even think that Manny Pacquiao’s story should be part of those fairy book tales that they sell in bookstores.

If fact, there ought to be a law on that. Kidding.

When Floyd Mayweather Jr. meets Juan Manuel Marquez on July 18, 2009, they will not only be fighting for the right to face Manny Pacquiao. They will also be vying for the unofficial Pound-for-Pound best title. Unofficial because as of the moment, Manny Pacquiao is the man who stands atop the Pound-for-Pound rankings.

But consider these scenarios for a second:

1. What if Juan Manuel Marquez wins? Can we really say in complete honesty that he remains the #2 Pound for Pound boxer in the world? No matter how JMM wins, as long as he wins the fight, he should be co-P4P #1 with Manny Pacquiao! I wouldn’t go so far as to say that he replaces Manny as the baddest man on the planet, after all, he did lose to Manny in their last fight. Yeah, yeah some people might say that he won, but look at the official records folks, like it or not, Manny’s name has the W so quit whining. By then there would be no other recourse to determine who’s the real #1 P4P, they need to get into the ring for the third time. And what a fight that’s going to be!

2. What if Pretty Boy Floyd wins? Now this has to be qualified. Pretty Boy, unfortunately, has almost all the advantages in this fight against Marquez. First off, the fight is at 147lbs. This is his weight. He doesn’t have to go down or up in weight to get it on with Marquez. Marquez however has to bulk up just so he can be competitive. Floyd also enjoys a height and reach advantage. For a slick boxer like Floyd, this is a double whammy for any opponent he faces. He is also younger both in age and in ring years. Say what you like to say, Marquez is 35 years old while Mayweather is only 32. He’s also been in this professional sport a few years than Marquez and he has significantly suffered less damage in his fights compared to the Mexican.

Floyd’s only disadvantage really in this fight is his inactivity. You can train all you want outside the ring but not being in an actual fight for a period of time and you’re bound to develop ring-rust.

Now the reason for all these discussions of Floyd’s advantages is that for him to even create a grain of doubt that he, and not Manny, is THE MAN, he has to beat Marquez in a spectacular fashion, after all, he has all the physical advantages in this fight. Spectacular can be interpreted not just in terms of putting the guy down on the canvass as Manny usually does; spectacular can also be total domination of an opponent for the entire length of the fight.

Should Floyd win over Marquez in a pedestrian fashion, there’s no way can he claim to be the #1 pound for pound boxer in the world.

In just two rounds of absolute mayhem the battle between east and west was over. Ricky Hatton laid frighteningly prostrate on the canvas covering the star in Rockstar while Manny looks at him on the way to his corner where cornerman and childhood friend Buboy Fernandez swooped him up into the air.

The match that many pundits believed would be Manny Pacquiao’s hardest ended before the chorus to the cheeky Hatton Wonderland. Half-finished cups of beer grasped in stunned British fans hands were sad reminders that Britain’s brightest light has been put out.

I could only imagine the silence that permeated every British boxing fan’s homes after that knockout while the raucousness inside Pinoys living in England knows no bounds. Such is boxing. It may be a sport but underneath it all it is a polarizing and demoralizing one. Nobody wants to bow down and expect somebody is better than themselves. But here, where you watch the winner being raised to the roof while you lie supine in the canvass, it’s enough to make a grown man cry. And cry Ricky Hatton did.

Opposite Paths

In the aftermath of the Ricky Hatton and Manny Pacquiao fight, many would exhort Ricky to retire, saying that a fighter who suffers the kind of devastating loss that he did will never be the same again. Wise words were thrown into the fray. Freddie Roach, Pacman’s sculptor, said Ricky should retire and not follow his example. Roach is suffering from Parkinsons as a result of too many matches on top of the ring. Roach said he should have heeded other people’s call when he asked him to retire, instead he fought 5 more, losing four of them. Roach now has some sort of a speech impediment courtesy of his Parkinson’s disease.

Manny Pacquiao on the other hand has reached heights no Filipino athlete ever has. He has become so big that even the country’s Health Department couldn’t stop him from returning to the country despite admonitions on swine flu related safety measures. He has returned home to his country and was even feted by Malacanang, putting the Department of Health to fume silently in the darkness of their meeting rooms.

Manny is now so big that any comparison would seem to pale when mentioned in the same breath as the Pacman.

What’s Next

Personally I believe Ricky Hatton will not retire. He will go on and have another fight. Tim Bradley comes to mind and the Wembley Stadium looms in the horizon. It is going to be a double edged fight. If Ricky loses, there’ll be nothing left to discuss. He retires. But if he wins and he puts up a good showing, there’s nobody who can stop him from fighting again.

Manny Pacquiao will most certainly have a fight before he meets the winner of the Marquez and Mayweather match scheduled on July 18. Inactivity will be his worst enemy at this point. Bob Arum will probably have some beatable opponent (Valero perhaps?) lined up and of course it’s going to be in Pay-per-view. Getting a few million dollars while prepping himself for a potential showdown with Floyd Mayweather Jr shouldn’t hurt.

In the meantime, I think both warriors deserve a much needed R&R after the rigorous training that they went through. Manny may be mapping out his plans for his political future, while Hatton ponders what he does next.

Manny Pacquiao has indeed turned a significant leaf in his storied life so far. Before we used to nervously turn a blind eye from all the gambling and late night pool games that Manny indulged. We made excuses for him when he strayed from the path of the sportsman. We were quick to dismiss those annoying things as nothing less than road cracks in the Manny Pacquiao superhighway.

But now Manny is a changed man. It warms my Filipino soul to be reading a press release like this:

Pacquiao Hosts Post-Christmas/Post-Birthday Victory Celebration

Boxer Manny Pacquiao is hosting a Post-Christmas/Post Birthday Victory Celebration at J Lounge in downtown Los Angeles, on Friday, December 26th starting at 9pm. The proceeds from the event will go to benefit the Blue Diamond Foundation, which was founded to assist people who need access to medical care.

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) December 23, 2008 — Boxer Manny Pacquiao, fresh off his victory against Oscar Dela Hoya in Las Vegas on December 6, is hosting a Post-Christmas/Post-Birthday Celebration at the J Lounge in downtown Los Angeles, on Friday, December 26 at 9pm.
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“We’re thrilled that Mr. Pacquiao is thinking of us,” says founder and CEO of the Blue Diamond Foundation, T. L. Kittle. “Every day there are thousands who are suffering from lack of access to proper medical care in this country, and successful men and women like Mr. Pacquiao can do a lot to alleviate it — we’re very grateful for his support.”

The party will be held on Friday, December 26 starting 9pm at J Lounge, which is located at 1119 Olive Street, Los Angeles, CA. The event is open to the public and tickets will be available at the door. For more information: 213-746-7746.

source: PRWeb.com

Manny Pacquiao has chosen to use his fame and popularity to help the cause of those needing access to proper medical care in the US. It’s a proud moment for us pinoys to see that Manny is not only charitable at home but wherever he finds himself needed.

Mabuhay ka Manny!