By Mark Vester
WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao has budged. The Filipino champion is now willing to agree to Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s previous cut-off date for a random Olympic-style drug testing protocol. Earlier this year, the two sides failed to reach an agreement for a March mega-fight. The issue of random drug testing was the root cause for the failed negotiations.
The two fighters were unable to agree on the cut-off date for the blood tests. Mayweather wanted a 14-day cut-off on the tests, while Pacquiao wanted the random drug testing protocol to end 24-days before the fight. Now Pacquiao is willing to meet Mayweather's number.
"I am willing to help the sport for the future of the sport. I do not want to see anyone cheat or cheat this sport. For that reason I am willing to consider taking blood as close as 14 days prior to the fight, as long as, my opponent does the same, and it is not a lot of blood, just enough to test," Pacquiao said in a statement on his official website, mpboxing.com .
"I do not want anyone having an unfair advantage where someone may get hurt. I am willing to do my part to help this sport out.";
Pacquiao has not yet watched Mayweather's domination of Shane Mosley, but plans to watch the fight very soon. He also agreed to take a blood test immediately after the fight was over. Nothing is set in stone. The next time the two fighters meet at the negotiating table, Mayweather might issue a demand for a smaller cut-off date or he might even make a demand for the testing to continue until the fight.
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