We have been instructed by Mayweather - Schaefer

Manny Pacquiao apparently has had enough.

The Filipino welterweight world champion has decided to sue Golden Boy Promotions and Floyd Mayweather Sr. and Floyd Mayweather Jr. for defamation.

Pacquiao's proposed March 13 fight with Mayweather Jr. at MGM Grand in Las Vegas has been derailed because Team Mayweather demanded Pacquiao undergo Olympic- style drug testing. Mayweather Jr. - who would also receive such testing - and his team have said the fight will not take place if Pacquiao doesn't acquiesce.

Mayweather Jr. has not come right out and said he suspects Pacquiao of using performance-enhancing drugs. But Mayweather Sr. - who does not have business ties with his son - has.

No member of Golden Boy, which is representing Mayweather, has said directly Pacquiao is dirty, either. But Golden Boy owner Oscar De La Hoya - who was stopped after nine rounds by Pacquiao last December - came rather close in his online blog in Ring Magazine posted Wednesday.

"If Pacquiao, the toughest guy on the planet, is afraid of needles and having a few tablespoons of blood drawn from his system, then something is wrong," writes De La Hoya, who owns Ring Magazine. "The guy has tattoos everywhere; he's tattooed from top to bottom. You're telling me he's afraid of needles?"

De La Hoya also wrote that the idea of Pacquiao walking away from $40 million because he does not want blood drawn so close to a fight - Olympic-style testing mandates eight

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to 12 urine tests and three to five blood tests taken randomly - raises questions.
"Now I have to wonder about him," De La Hoya said. "I'm saying to myself, `Wow, those Mosley punches, those Vargas punches and those Pacquiao punches all felt the same.' I'm not saying yes or no (about whether Pacquiao might be taking performance-enhancing drugs). I'm just saying that now people have to wonder, `Why doesn't he want to do this? Why is it such a big deal?"'

Fernando Vargas tested positive for steroids after his knockout loss to De La Hoya in 2002. Mosley admitted to being on steroids for his second victory over De La Hoya in 2003, although Mosley did not test positive and he said he did not know he was ingesting steroids.

As of Thursday afternoon, Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer and Bob Arum of Top Rank Inc. still held out a glimmer of hope for a compromise regarding the testing. Several hours later, Pacquiao sent out a news release about his legal action.

"I have instructed my promoter, Bob Arum, head of Top Rank Inc., to help me out in the filing of the case as soon as possible because I have had people coming over to me now asking if I really take performance-enhancing drugs and I have cheated my way into becoming the No. 1 boxer in the world," Pacquiao said from the Philippines.

Pacquiao went on to say he is clean.

"I maintain and assure everyone that I have not used any form or kind of steroids and that my way to the top is a result of hard work, hard work, hard work and a lot of blood spilled from my past battles in the ring, not outside of it," Pacquiao said.

Said Schaefer: "The fact is we have never accused him of anything, nothing. We have been instructed by a client, which is Mayweather and Mayweather's management team, to ensure from the beginning that the proper test, which is blood and urine, be performed. That was in the first draft of the contact; this was no surprise.

"I believe in innocent until proven guilty. It is just that Mayweather wants the proper test to take place. It is as simple as that. If he doesn't want to do it, we can't force him. Nobody is accusing anybody of anything. Mayweather Sr. made that comment and I think Paulie Malignaggi made similar comments. And I think it's interesting now that he (Pacquiao) would want to fight Paulie Malignaggi, the guy who accused him of taking performance-enhancing drugs."

Malignaggi is being considered as a replacement for Mayweather. He has gone on record as saying he thinks something is up with Pacquiao because of his success in seven weight classes and the way he took heavy punches from Miguel Cotto last month without flinching.

Pacquiao stopped Cotto in the 12th round of a one-sided fight.

Schaefer said he doesn't understand why Pacquiao won't agree to the Olympic-style testing, whether it be done by the United States Anti-Doping Agency or another entity.

"Obviously, he doesn't want to do the drug tests," Schaefer said. "It cannot be the needle because he has all these tattoos. I'm not accusing the kid of anything. On top of that we have a promotional piece of Pacquiao. I would have to be an idiot to try and destroy the guy."

Although Pacquiao is promoted by Arum's Top Rank Inc., Golden Boy does have a financial interest in him.

The testing done by the Nevada State Athletic Commission doesn't require blood tests, only urine. Junior welterweight champion Timothy Bradley, another possible replacement for Mayweather, said that is sufficient.

"They take a (urinalysis) drug test before and after the fight," Bradley said. "I think that's perfect."

Source: presstelegram.com