Floyd Mayweather is 2-0 in the month of May. He defeated Miguel Cotto on May 5th , but his most meaningful boxing victory will take place Saturday night at an empty Mandalay Bay arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Mandalay Bay was expected to host Lamont Peterson-Amir Khan II, a highly-anticipated rematch of Peterson's controversial victory over Khan last December. That is, until Peterson tested positive for synthetic testosterone. Since Mayweather first demanded that all of his opponents submit to additional drug testing beyond the tests administered by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC), other fighters are recognizing the importance of stringent testing in boxing.
Per Peterson's request, both Peterson and Khan agreed to allow the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) oversee Peterson-Khan II with extensive blood and urine drug testing. It was one of these tests that triggered Peterson's failure, leading Golden Boy Promotions to cancel the entire card on May 9th. The particulars of Peterson's drug usage are still unclear. Peterson is requesting a hearing with NSAC to explain his side of the story, however, one thing is certain: Peterson admitted to having testosterone pellets implanted inside of him prior to his victory over Khan.
Whether his intentions were bad or not, Peterson entered the ring with a chemically enhanced level of testosterone. The standard drug tests that the Washington D.C. commission administered did not catch Peterson's heightened testosterone level when he entered the ring against Khan. Had it not been for VADA's testing for the second fight, the rematch would still be on.
Throughout the buildup to his fight against Shane Mosley, Mayweather stressed the importance of cleaning up boxing. Clearly, the cleansing has begun. Peterson-Khan II was the first fight canceled due to a failed drug test via additional testing. It may be Mayweather's greatest victory to date. On Friday, we learned that Ortiz-Berto II would be the second fight scrapped, as Andre Berto tested positive for Nandrolone according to VADA.
Some fans have been skeptical of Mayweather's intentions regarding drug testing, but this take is short-sighted. By influencing fellow boxers to follow his lead and submit themselves to more stringent testing, he has advanced boxing a step in the right direction, which is rare for a sport that rarely steps in the right direction. Boxing's other top fighter would be wise to follow suit.
As the Manny Pacquiao-Timothy Bradley fight draws closer, it is alarming that Pacquiao, or any fighter for that matter, still finds additional drug testing unnecessary. If, as Bob Arum claims, drug testing is no longer a holdup to a potential Pacquiao-Mayweather fight, why hasn't Pacquiao proved it by mandating OST in the Bradley fight, or even his fight with Juan Manuel Marquez last year, when news broke that Marquez had been working with Angel Heredia, an admitted drug trafficker who testified against a number of different athletes in the high-profile BALCO case?
If Peterson felt that a little extra testosterone could help him beat Khan, potentially changing his life in the process, surely the stakes are higher for Bradley against Pacquiao. With a potential Mayweather fight looming, Pacquiao has far more to lose than even Khan did. His lack of concern is, well, concerning. Khan lost the titles that he spent his whole life working for to achieve, as well as any momentum he was building as a future opponent to Mayweather. As a member of Freddie Roach's stable of boxers, Pacquiao should be cognizant of what happened to his very own stable mate.
Khan always says that he learns so much from Pacquiao. It is time for Pacquiao to learn from Khan and subject himself and his opponents to stricter drug testing in all of his fights.