The controversial statement of trainer Mayweather Sr. that the boxing icon Manny Pacquiao is using steroids could bring him legal problems. Pacquiao wrote in his column at Philboxing.com that he will file a defamation suit against Mayweather Sr. soon. Freddie Roach, Pacquiao’s coach said that he already consulted his lawyers about pursuing a case against the trainer. “I talked to Manny, and I talked to an attorney, and we are all on board here. This is all over the place now that Manny is on steroids, it’s defaming his name,” Roach said in an interview with Brad Cooney of 8CountNews.

Roach believes that the loss of Ricky Hatton against Pacquiao prompted Mayweather Sr. to make those accusations. Floyd Mayweather Sr. is the trainer of Hatton in that fight. He told Fanhouse that these guys had to come up with a reason why they lost. “Steroids? Where in the hell did that come from? They lost because (Floyd Sr.) sucks as a trainer and I had the better fighter,” he said. “We have taken him a couple of times to be tested, and we haven’t tested positive yet. I think he’s wrong, but all Manny’s on is white rice,” Roach added.

Pacquiao is currently undergoing training in preparation for his next fight on November 14 against Miguel Cotto, the current World Boxing Organization welterweight champion. The case is expected to be filed next week. According to the boxer, he wants everything to be settled first and he don’t want it to become a distraction during his training.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) also reacted on the comments of the trainer. This is in relation to the statement of Mayweather Sr. that Manny should be tested thoroughly and the boxing icon could probably get away from these tests. Keith Kizer, the executive director of the NSAC told abscbn-news that Pacquiao is free from steroids and other substances banned by the organization. “All I can tell you is that Pacquiao, every time he’s fought here [in Nevada, has] been tested, as well as his opponents. He passed every drug test we did to him, every steroid test we did to him,” he said. He stressed that they conduct stringent drug tests on boxers before allowing them to fight. According to Kizer, they collect urine samples before and after the fight to test for steroids and substances of drug abuse like cocaine and marijuana.

In the previous interviews of Mayweather Sr., he even reiterated his statement that Manny Pacquaio is using supplements to enhance performance. He believes that the strength and power of the pound-for-pound king is due to his taking of performance enhancing substance particularly steroids. But with the possibility of being charged in court for slander, Mayweather Sr. laid low on his stand on the issue. He recently told the media that it is only his opinion and he doesn’t talk much about it anymore.

With the unanimous win of Floyd Mayweather Jr. against Juan Manuel Marquez last Saturday, many are expecting a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight soon. This will be considered as the fight of the century where both pound-for-pound king will prove their strength and power inside the ring.

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