Boxers demand Pacquiao to undergo extra testing

Despite getting a favorable response from the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) about blood testing, fellow boxers are still demanding Filipino pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao to go for some extra testing.

Heavyweight David Haye and Paullie Malignaggi backed Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s demand of an Olympic drug test before making the much-awaited Pacquiao-Mayweather Jr. showdown comes to reality.

“I’m in favor of extra testing,” said Haye to US-based examiner.com. “I’m in favor of increased testing by extension,” said Malignaggi.

The two boxers concluded that random blood testing isn’t as affective or essential.

British boxer Ricky Hatton also said that he could even ask for the same demands last year regarding blood testing before fighting Pacquiao, but he wasn’t bothered.

The commission doctors mentioned the risk of infection—the development of hematomas and the possibility of nicking a vein—as problems with the Olympic drug testing as favored by Mayweather.

Pacquiao, for its part, had softened his stance and he’s now ready to take the blood test 14 days before the fight and right after the fight. But the newly elected Saranggani congressman said he can’t do it nearer 24 hours.

If the fight of the century won’t push through, the Pacquiao camp is looking for a possible rematch against super welterweight champion Miguel Cotto, who hit a technical knockout against Yuri Foreman on Saturday.

But Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum, the president of Top Rank Promotion, is confident the bout between Pacquiao and Mayweather would push through this year despite the conflict in blood testing procedures.