Manny Pacquiao remained steadfast on his demand not to be blood tested within 30 days of fighting Floyd Mayweather in a Web site statement on Saturday while rival promoters tried to save the fight.
The Filipino was set to meet Mayweather on March 13 but the doping test format threatens the showdown.
“I’m still willing to Fight Floyd Mayweather. I never said the fight was off or I do not want to fight him,” Pacquiao said in a blog posting on his official Web site.
Mayweather wanted US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) protocols, including random blood tests at any point before the fight, which was a deal-breaker to Pacquiao.
“The truth is taking blood out of my body does not seem natural to me and mentally I feel it will weaken me if blood is taken from me just days before the fight,” Pacquiao said. “That does not make sense to me, why anyone would do that.”
Richard Schaefer, Golden Boy Promotions chief executive, told ESPN on Saturday that he had backed off USADA rules but would insist upon testing within 30 days of the fight as representatives of rival promoters negotiated terms on Saturday.
“We know that 30 days before is not effective. At 30 days, we might as well not even do it,” Schaefer said. “It is a matter of the two sides working out the specifics of the cut off date to assure it will still be effective.”
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