Pacquiao not into steroids, says foe Clottey

Unlike Floyd Mayweather Jr., Joshua Clottey doesn’t believe Manny Pacquiao is into performance enhancing drugs. “I don’t think Manny Pacquio is doing that thing," said challenger Joshua Clottey during a conference call for his March 13 fight with World Boxing Organization (WBO) 147-pound bout with the `Pacman.’ “If he’s doing that thing, he is killing the sport." Mayweather’s belief that Pacquiao is using steroids caused the collapse of the negotiations for the fight potentially expected to be the biggest and richest in boxing history. Mayweather’s camp demanded that he and Pacquiao undergo Olympic style drug testing before and after the bout. Although the 31-year-old Filipino is not against drug testing per se, he is not sold to the idea of doing the procedure random style. Mayweather again found the perfect opportunity to raise the issue during the initial press conference of his May 1 fight with reigning World Boxing Council (WBC) welterweight champion Shane Mosley in New York. “I can’t say how many fights Shane has won in the past because we know Shane was using enhancement drugs. That’s something we do know," said Mayweather, referring to Mosley’s claim that he unintentionally used steroids prior to his fight with Oscar De La Hoya in 2003."
For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV “It’s no different than Pacquiao," stressed the unbeaten American. “I offered Pacquiao the fight. I said, `We’ll give you $25 million.’ I never met a man who wouldn’t take a $25 million drug test." But Clottey doesn’t buy such an idea. And not because he’s fighting Pacquiao in a showdown considered the biggest in his boxing career. The 32-year-old challenger from Ghana has too much respect for the man acknowledged as the world’s top pound-for-pound fighter today. “I respect him too much. He is a very nice guy, to be honest with you, I feel comfortable around him. He is nice and respects everybody and I know where he is from," Clottey said. “Between he and God, it is going to someday be a problem. I wouldn’t make him do that steroid thing because I believe in him. I know he throws a lot of punches. I respect him for that, so I couldn’t ask him to do that." Vinny Scolpino, Clottey’s manager, also believes that drug testing for a fight shouldn’t be part of the negotiation for a contract, not unless it is part of the procedure required by the boxing body where the match will be held. “If the commission wants to implement other drug-testing rules, let them implement them. We abide by the rules that are set for us, then we move forward. Manny is a super champion and we all hope he is doing the right thing. If the commission finds it in their drug testing, they find it. “We are going to abide by the rules set by the state. We are professionals in the sport. Joshua is a professional, and if that commission in that state says to do this, we do it," said Scolpino. – GMANews.TV