LARRY MERCHANT STANDS BY PACQUIAO
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 31 Dec 2009
One of the most respected boxing analysts, veteran Larry Merchant who once described pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao as a storm roaring across the Pacific says he hasn’t seen anything to suggest that Pacquiao is using any performance enhancing drugs.
USA Today quoted Merchant saying “I see no indications that Pacquiao is anything but an exceptional, elite fighter. There are many precedents in boxing of smaller fighters to move up in weight division and be successful later in their careers. Oscar De La Hoya himself started out as a 130-pound titleholder and wound up fighting middleweights which is 30 pounds north of that.”
Merchant said he thinks that the demand of the Floyd Mayweather camp that Pacquiao undergo Olympic-style random drug tests “ seems like its some sort of ploy."
The veteran boxing analyst said "I thought it was just some gamesmanship by Mayweather who has a certain talent for mind games with opponents, creating conflict to help promote events. It appears that it has spiraled out of control. I couldn't imagine why. First of all, since he thinks he's going to win the fight and second of all because he's going to make upwards of 30 million or 40 million dollars, how could you take it seriously?" –
Merchant added, “They seem serious about it. Almost as if they were saying Pacquiao can't be this good on his own. Now it's seems like it's a bloodbath. There's no precedent for fighters who have already decided how to divide the money then find issues that would break up a huge event. It's hard to take seriously even if it appears to be serious."
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