At this point, the damage is already done - or in the process of being done - to Manny's reputation. Regardless of if he is innocent of guilty, the cloud of suspicion will always hang over his head unless something changes very, very quickly. Pacquiao should either swallow his pride and go ahead and do the testing, or go on tv himself - not Roach, not Arum, not anyone else in his camp - Pac should go on tv and let everyone know in his OWN words why they refuse to cave to Mayweather's demands. He need to clear his name. **** the lawsuit. Just go out there, sit down with a non-biased interviewer, and thoroughly explain what the deal is. For me, it's wouldn't be the fact that he has jumped so many weight divisions, or the fact that he is taking punches better, or seems to be hitting harder...the main thing that would make me suspicious is him being so quiet about such a controversial situation. As of right now, I believe Pac is innocent, and my thinking that he should go ahead and agree to the ridiculous testing demands - which are based on pure, unwarranted speculation, and nothing more - has more to do with me wanting to see him call Floyd's bluff than anything else. But, yeah...that's what Pac should do. If he doesn't end up taking these tests, then a thorough explanation as to why will probably be the only thing that can ease the minds of the naysayers.
He would probably risk saying something incriminating, but I agree that he should try. Good idea. It is all about damage limitation now.
This would be brutal. You gotta remember whoever gets that interview is going to be going in for the kill on Manny. Manny's vernacular isn't exactly the greatest in the world (a stones I'll be a throwin) and I could see someone like...say Dan Patrick or one of the big wigs at ESPN ripping him apart mercifully because Manny can't explain himself properly. Manny might sound fine in soundbites but on the big stage where people are NOT throwing soft balls at him? It would be awful. I get your point and agree with it. It's just not possible to really expect Manny to pull it off the way you've described it. Floyd has the ability to defend himself adequately in the media. Manny can't.
That does make sense, and I was thinking that. Pac doesn't speak English good enough to thoroughly defend himself, nor does he have the personality to defend himself against a tough interviewer, like Floyd does. But yeah, I did think about that, and it would probably be good for him to have an interpreter there, but even with that, he'd say something along the lines of, "I have an interpreter here so I can explain in detail the situation." Otherwise, people might think the interpreter was there due to Manny's feigning not speaking English.
I meant UNmercifully. As for the interpreter, Sammy Sosa brought one for the steroid trials and got massacred. I don't know if Sosa's english was better than Pac's but I have to imagine the situation would stand the same. My suggestion would be for Manny to agree to blood testing for the Clottey fight but on the terms he wanted. That way he can say "I took the tests, I came back clean...I was just worried about the tactics from Floyd." That way the onus is on Floyd to agree to Pacquaio stipulated blood testing.
Let it go... The issue is dead now. Fans are tired. Time to move on. They have moved on so Clottey is next. It is not going to be easy fight. Save Floyd for later fights. Perhaps, it is even bigger then than what it will be now. He's looking bad more than Pac now anyway.
