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[reservoirdogs]

Pacquiao-Thurman: No VADA Testing In Place for July 20 PPV Event

By Jake Donovan

The upcoming welterweight title fight between unbeaten Keith Thurman and legendary former eight-division titlist Manny Pacquiao is worth the price of admission on its own.

Add to that, a three-fight supporting undercard for the Fox Sports Pay-Per-View event and a major title fight headlining a preceding Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) on Fox prime time telecast, and fans are left with everything you can ask for out of the July 20 event at MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Except for sufficient random drug testing.

BoxingScene.com has learned that participants for the biggest boxing event of 2019 to date will be subject to testing standards limited to that provided by Nevada State Athletic Commissions. Original plans to secure the services of Voluntary Anti-Doping Agency (VADA) were called off for reasons that haven’t yet been made clear—and too late in the game to rectify with just four weeks to go before fight night.

VADA representatives declined further comment beyond confirming that they are not involved in any aspect of the July 20 card.

Pacquiao found himself at the forefront of a heated years-long debate regarding drug testing as the issue was first raised by Floyd Mayweather Jr. when the demand grew for a superfight between the sport’s leading welterweights—and boxers in general.

The two would circle each other for more than five years before finally squaring off in May 2015, resulting in the most lucrative event in boxing history. Their fight came with random testing provided by United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), whose services Mayweather used for each of his fights beginning with his May 2010 win over Shane Mosley throughout the rest of his career.

Of course, Pacquiao has proven to be a clean athlete, having been regularly tested through random testing dating back to his Nov. 2013 points win over Brandon Rios. VADA testing was in place for that bout in Macao, China, which actually popped Rios for the banned substance dimenthylamylamine (DMAA).

The Las Vegas-headquartered agency also provided its services for Pacquiao’s most recent ring appearance, a 12-round win over Adrien Broner this past January, also at MGM Grand. The subject came to surface, however, when Broner alleged that he had yet to be tested by late December, less than a month out from the January 19 Showtime PPV event.

VADA was utilized for Fox Sports’ first foray into the PPV market in March, when welterweight titlist Errol Spence pitched a 12-round shutout over Mikey Garcia in their battle of unbeaten pound-for-pound entrants. It was also in place for last December’s Showtime PPV show in Los Angeles, where unbeaten heavyweights Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury fought to a 12-round draw.

Wilder has remained among the sport’s most vocal supporters of stringent drug testing, even at the expense of watching three fights fall by the wayside as a result. The trio of Alexander Povetkin, Andrzej Wawrzyk and Luis Ortiz all tested positive for banned substances ahead of their scheduled bouts with the undefeated titlist.

Ortiz was the only one to land a fight with Wilder, his previously scheduled affair postponed by four months. His positive test came down to a clerical error on his part, failing to disclose medication he was taking to treat high blood pressure.

Wilder is far from alone among PBC athletes who regularly contract the services of VADA for their events.

Recently unified super welterweight titlist Julian ‘J-Rock’ Williams has not only been a longtime supporter of the program but has doubled down on his stance on the subject, recently insisting that any future opponents must agree to a testing period no shorter than 90- days out from fight night.

Spence, Garcia, Shawn Porter, Yordenis Ugas and Caleb Plant are among the many others under the PBC banner who are in full support of the program. Ugas—whose narrow points loss to Porter this past March came complete with VADA testing— and Plant will both appear on the July 20 undercard, with Plant making the first defense of his super middleweight title versus Mike Lee atop the preceding PBC on Fox telecast.

Ugas will face unbeaten former welterweight titlist Omar Figueroa on the PPV undercard in a World Boxing Council (WBC)-sanctioned title eliminator. The WBC is involved in another PPV preliminary bout, with unbeaten bantamweight Luis Nery facing Juan Carlos Payano in a battle of former titlists.

Nery returned to the sport last fall following a troubled past that includes his having produced a positive drug test following his Aug. 2017 bantamweight title winning effort over Shinsuke Yamanaka in Japan. He also showed up well over the bantamweight limit in their March 2018 rematch, also in Japan where he was issued a lifetime ban.

The unbeaten boxer from Mexico was also issued an indefinite suspension by the WBC which was eventually downgraded to six months and allowing for his ring return last October. Nery is enrolled in the WBC Clean Boxing Program, which has often been confused with its participants also actively participating in year-round random drug testing.

Such enrollment merely puts participants in a deep pool of several hundred fighters, with an infinitesimal number of athletes actually selected per month for such testing. The odds pale miserably in comparison to those who directly enlisted the services VADA.

As it relates to the July 20 event, it seems the chances are zero of any of its participants being subjected to anything more than standard commission testing.

Thurman's fukked

 

[aceboon]

So what's the real story behind the Dibella/Haymon split? Dibella no longer promoting Wilder, he says he's not close anymore with Haymon in this podcast, what happened? This is a good ass listen btw, Mannix got the best national podcast by a mile, if DAZN was smart they would try to transition this into something digital on a weekly basis.

 

[((ReFleXioN)) EteRNaL]

He closes strong but he got his ass whooped in that 10th round by a sluggish GGG. Does he really want to get in a tussle with someone as busy as Spence? Spence is a body puncher from hell..he's a nightmare match up for Canelo. That's how you drop Canelo..in his laxed moments...crack the body. If his chin opens up, take it but he has very good head movement. Against the ropes with Spence? He has a problem, kiddo.

You still going on about Canelo-Spence?.....
Errol spence is NOT beating canelo at this time. It would be Tito vs Vargas all over again. Let Spence continue to get better and maybe it'll be an even fight in a couple years. But right now canelo holds the advantage in damn near every category. Experience, size, power, speed, defense, accuracy....even body punching.

There's a reason Spence got quiet when GB started pushing for the fight. He knows he's not ready for that. If he felt he could beat canelo right now he would be in every media outlet calling for it. And GB would give it to him in a heartbeat. That's a bonafide megafight. But Errol Spence isn't stupid. He knows canelo is a different level than anything he's seen. That's why he got canelo top 3 p4p....Spence been a canelo fan for years. I don't even wanna see that fight right now. Canelo would do Spence like floyd did him. I need to see Spence vs the rest of the guys at 147 before I make a final assessment on that matchup. He might not even make it past Crawford.

 

[The axe murderer]

Thurman's fukked

 

[((ReFleXioN)) EteRNaL]

Manny with “The Office” Camera pans when Keith talks

That was an entertaining interview. Porter and Thurman always goin at eachother.....keith always gets sensitive when people call him the B side



Thurman askin pac if he made retirement plans



Pac not knowing the names of his sparring partners



Porter: "you didn't know my name when I sparred with you either"


Manny:

 

[LauderdaleBoss]

Pac could be on the same shyt Miller was on and Thurman still gon beat his ass.

 

[Skip b]

Thurman's fukked

Manny took the test more than you nikkas favorite fighters, #facts




Him ducking testing was his way of ducking a Floyd fight at that time and nothing more.......The boy still whopping these nikkas at 40, Floyd and JMM still the only people to beat a welter Manny legit.....Testing talk in regards to Manny at this point is propaganda.....

 

[Negro Caesar]

Manny took the test more than you nikkas favorite fighters, #facts




Him ducking testing was his way of ducking a Floyd fight at that time and nothing more.......The boy still whopping these nikkas at 40, Floyd and JMM still the only people to beat a welter Manny legit.....Testing talk in regards to Manny at this point is propaganda.....

Say what u want but that Horn whooped that boy ass

 

[Skip b]

Say what u want but that Horn whooped that boy ass

Manny was half playing though.......Manny aint put his hands up and eat shots in almost 15 years......Manny still shouldve got the TKO there as well

 

[Amare's Right Hook]

Say what u want but that Horn whooped that boy ass

Nah, good fight but Manny won.

 

[Skip b]

Nah, good fight but Manny won.

Horn was respectable, he losses to Manny 9/10 times.....Manny was clearly clowning on top of trying to justify the Horn fight choice making it appear competitive.....


SN: Arum runied Manny vs Floyd 2; that match was still rumored then, and the loss to Horn on national tv deflated those talks

 

[Skip b]

Would love to see Horn vs Porter and the Thurman's of the world.........He has the wrestling style to beat a porter......while we talking about Porter Im not sure spence gets the job done he couldnt buckle Mikey im not believing he take the belts off a Nikka who ate Thurman uppercuts, and Swift double left hooks, like a retard and kept coming forward.....

 

[Amare's Right Hook]

 

[Skip b]

I got Porter over Spence fukk it.......Classic fight em all champ, gotta respect it.......



Porter need to cut that five pounds of hair off his head and step on the scale and gauge his real weight......He appeared drained in 2/3 of his last fights; like he did vs AB at the catch...He need his A game he brought when he bullied 8-9 rounds off Thurman(fukk whoever says otherwise, till this day....

)

 

[Skip b]

I got Porter over Spence fukk it.......Classic fight em all champ, gotta respect it.......



Porter need to cut that five pounds of hair off his head and step on the scale and gauge his real weight......He appeared drained in 2/3 of his last fights; like he did vs AB at the catch...He need his A game he brought when he bullied 8-9 rounds off Thurman(fukk whoever says otherwise, till this day....

)

Truth be told Spence aint earn no Damn Porter shot; he feels like the odd man out with the Manny and Thurman fight coming up