USADA chief executive Travis Tygart was originally tasked to oversee the Olympic-style, random blood testing of what is known the most lucrative boxing match in history—between WBO welterweight king and seven-division titlist, Manny Pacquiao and five-time champion, Floyd Mayweather Jr. The said match was slated for March 13 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas. But after all the controversy, the negotiation for the match is off indefinitely. Pacquiao is set to defend against Joshua Clottey of Accra, Ghana, at The Dallas’ Stadium on March 13 while Mayweather is targeting for a match up with Pauli Malignaggi of New York at the MGM Grand.

The blood-testing to be done by USADA, in general, and, by The Nevada Athletic Commission, in particular, to the two fighters is probably the very first time in boxing. The sport only uses urinalysis in order to detect the use of steroids and other illegal drugs. In a recent interview with FanHouse, Tygart related the differences between blood and urinalysis testing, its effects, and its need on why it has to be implemented in boxing.

According to Tygart, there are actually various potent performance enhancing drugs that only blood can detect. Some of them include HGH- human growth hormone; HBOC- synthetic hemoglobin; transfusions; certain forms of EPO, such as Mircera, which is essentially a designer EPO.

There is also what is known as parameter testing, which is also done by blood, or the biological passport testing. This kind of testing does not detect a specific drug like HGH. However, there are different parameters or biological markers that are natural to everyone’s body. And if you look at someone’s body, you will notice variability or fluctuations in those naturally occurring markers that everyone has. Once fluctuations are seen, you can now determine that those were actually caused by drug use and certain categories of drug use. “I think that it’s fair to say that there are several, very potent, performance enhancing drugs that only blood can detect, and there is an entirely different method of detecting broader categories of drug use through parameter testing that is done with the blood,” said Tygart.

And when asked regarding the request of the Mayweather camp of the blood-testing, Tygart said that there were already numerous conversations on both the Mayweather and Pacquiao camps on the blood-testing details. “There are 3,000-plus athletes around the U.S. who are at the top of their game making more money or equal to the money that these guys do, who are subject to it, and it works for them, and they’re the best that there is, and that’s what we want.”

Tygart added that there is a real safety and health concern that everyone needs to be aware of. The USADA program, he clarified, does not do any inconvenience to an athlete, including the boxer’s inability to prepare or train for their fight. “So it’s hard for me to understand — and this is not a specific comment about any of the fighters involved here — but it’s hard for me to understand why any athlete wouldn’t want the same program that all of our Olympic athletes have.”

He also took Shane Mosley as an example. Mosley was reported to have used designer steroid and blood enhancing products like EPO. Tygart said that this would only show how these performance enhancing drugs can do for boxers.

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