Running around in circles: can we just get on with the fights?

One man WADA Floyd Mayweather and his opponent Shane Mosley will begin the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) anti-doping program on Monday, ahead of Mayweather vs Mosley on May 1 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Great fight, but such a lot of kerfuffle.

Fine. It is the first time in history that athletes from any U.S. professional sport have reached out and demanded World Anti-Doing Code compliant drug testing, setting a new precedent.

The program will involve no-advance-notice sample collection of the athletes’ blood and urine prior to and after the fight so that all banned substances, some of which do not show up in urine alone, are tested for thoroughly, and with both athletes subjected to the testing program leading up to as well as after the fight.

But it is unlikely to herald a complete change in the sport.

Yet Mayweather thinks so. “I am excited that Shane Mosley and I are willing to take these tests to ensure a fair fight on May 1. I just want to show the world that boxing is a clean sport and it is my hope that all fighters will take a similar stance and responsibility which reflects sportsmanship at the highest level and sets a new standard for safety in boxing.”

Mosley, of course, agrees. “I think the testing program is a great idea and I did not hesitate for a minute about agreeing to it. Let’s hope that the rest of the boxing world follows Floyd’s and my example.” I doubt it.

Leonard Ellerbe, CEO of Mayweather Promotions said, “Floyd is leading the way for changing the sport and I commend him for that. Some people have asked why he has not asked for it in the past but it is never too late to take a stand on an issue that is prevalent in all sports today and ask for something that can only have positive results on the future of boxing.”

Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions said, “Shane Mosley is one of the greatest fighters of this era and I commend him for agreeing to participate in a testing process that can only help the integrity of the sport. I commend both of these fighters for setting a new precedent in the sport and giving others an opportunity to reflect on its current state and how, as a collective group, we can continue to make the sport better, safer and fairer for anyone who steps in to the ring.”

We continue in circles. Paulie Malignaggi says Amir Khan is a stronger opponent than Hatton. Khan says Malignaggi is ‘stupid’. Malignaggi continues to assert that there are drugs cheats in boxing…the pair clash in New York on May 15. Khan is likely to slice through the Brooklynite with a flair for hairstyles.

Source: telegraph.co.uk