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5:07 PM, February 26, 2010 ι By GEORGE WILLIS
Manny Pacquiao says Floyd Mayweather Jr. wasn't ready to face him this spring and their disagreement over blood-testing procedures was just a smokescreen to get out of the proposed welterweight championship mega bout.
"What I believe is Floyd Mayweather is not ready for this time to fight with me," Pacquiao said during a conference call Friday. "That's why he made some reason to cancel the fight.
"I feel bad, I feel disappointment because he's accusing me of drugs or whatever and trying to ruin my name in boxing. People know that I always pray to God and (believe in) hard work."
Pacquiao and Mayweather had been negotiating on a March 13 bout in Las Vegas that might have been the richest in boxing history. But they reached an impasse over blood-testing procedures, with Mayweather wanting random Olympic-style testing by an independent agency. Pacquiao agreed to undergo three tests, including 21 days before the bout and the night of the bout, or have the Nevada Athletic Commission decide on a procedure.
When a compromise couldn't be reached, Pacquiao's promoter, Bob Arum of Top Rank, matched Pacquiao against former welterweight champion Joshua Clottey on March 13 at Cowboys Stadium.
"I didn't want to take a blood test right before the fight," Pacquiao said. "I want to have proper focus. It's a big disadvantage for me to take a blood test just before the fight."
Source: nypost.com
