There's a good chance that the much-anticipated fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. might not be happening. According to promoter Bob Arum, it won't go down unless Mayweather's camp drops its insistence for Olympic-style blood testing: Promoter says Pacquiao-Mayweather likely off.
The match up -- planned for March 13 -- would've been the richest fight ever. But Mayweather's camp is demanding the fighters submit to Olympic-type drug testing in the weeks leading up to the bout. If Pacquiao doesn't agree to blood testing under standards followed by the United States Anti-Doping Agency, the fight is off.
Arum is accusing Mayweather's camp of raising the issue not because they were worried about Pacquiao taking performance-enhancing substances, but because Mayweather never wanted to fight in the first place. He also accused Mayweather of trying to play mind games with Pacquiao.
According to Arum, Pacquiao would agree to testing by the same agencies that test pro football and baseball players, but not for random tests by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. More here: Blood remains issue for Pacquiao-Mayweather.
With the two camps at an impasse, and time running out, it looks likely that this megafight is not going to happen, at least for the time being. Then again, maybe not: Still hope for Mayweather-Pacquiao megafight.
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