"I am very disappointed that we could not make this fight for the fans," remarked pound-for-pound champion in an official statement regarding the cancellation of his highly-anticipated clash with Floyd Mayweather Jr. After days of mediation, Pacquiao's promoter, Bob Arum, revealed that the fight was officially off due to Mayweather's unwillingness to come off his demands for random blood testing in the days leading up to the fight. Originally, Pacquiao was unwilling to take any blood tests during the 30 days prior to the bout, but in an effort to come to an agreement, he offered to take a test 24 days before and another immediately after the fight. Mayweather, however, would not agree.
"I am angered because of the false accusations from Goldenboy and the Mayeather camp that I used some type of drugs and that is why I have instructed our American lawyers to proceed with the lawsuit to clear my name. This is all I have to say at this time," he continued on his official blog at mpboxing.com. According to reports, Mayweather was also unwilling to offer a public apology to Pacquiao regarding accusations of his use performance-enhancing drugs. As such, Pacquiao will move forward with the defamation lawsuit he filed last week against Mayweather Jr., Schaefer, Golden Boy president De La Hoya, Floyd Mayweather Sr., Roger Mayweather and Mayweather Promotions.
Pacquiao now joins Bob Arum and Michael Koncz as members of Team Pacquiao who have voiced their displeasure with the highly-anticipated showdown falling though. In fact, a quick scan of boxing headlines around the world will show that virtually everyone, from members of the media to diehard and casual boxing fans alike, are upset with the fact that the two best fighters in the world will not be facing each other due to an unprecedented request for random blood testing. The move has to rank up there with Riddick Bowe's decision to throw his title in the trash can rather than facing Lennox Lewis. Indeed, we're all disappointed, especially after years of waiting for a worthy challenger who could finally push Mayweather to the limits of his abilities. Instead of taking the opportunity to show fans his "A game" inside the ring, Mayweather continues to play Duck Duck Goose outside of it.