If the (alleged) reports circulating this week from Thomas Hauser of SB Nation are to be believed pertaining to boxing’s number one fighter, Floyd Mayweather may just have the fight of his life on his hands after his final fight in the ring this weekend.
________________________________________________________________________________
Allegations against one of the cleanest athletes in sport
The report in question, is in regards to Floyd Mayweather taking an intravenous injection on the eve of his mega fight against Manny Pacquiao earlier this year on May 2nd, in Las Vegas. Intravenous injections are banned currently under World Anti-Doping Agency guidelines.
The report that has caused so much controversy this week by Thomas Hauser goes on to say Floyd Mayweather (allegedly) had an intravenous injection administered at his residence by his medical team and that the injection was (allegedly) saline and vitamins, which are often used to aid in re-hydration process.
USADA AND WADA
What is of concern, is that USADA (United States Anti-Doping Agency) have appeared to grant Mayweather a waiver on this issue.
WADA rules are cuurently very clear regarding the use of intravenous injections:
“In accordance with the WADA Prohibited List (Category M2 Chemical and Physical Manipulation), all IV infusions and/or injections of more than 50mL (~3.4 tablespoons) per 6-hour period are prohibited, except for those legitimately received in the course of hospital admissions, surgical procedures or clinical investigations.
IV infusions and/or injections of more than 50mL per 6-hour period are prohibited at all times, both in- and out-of-competition unless the athlete has applied for and been granted a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) under the applicable anti-doping rules. Further, if a prohibited substance that is administered intravenously or via injection, a TUE is necessary for this substance regardless of volume.”
Questions that may arise
The use of any IV injections can sometimes dilute or mask the presence of other substances, and this is why WADA have such stringent guidelines in place.
If the report from Hauser is to be believed, some questions need to be addressed:
- Why was the injection recorded in Floyd’s home and not a proper medical facility?
- Why wasn’t the NSAC notified about it at the time and why did it take nearly 20 days after the Pacquiao fight for the Nevada State Athletic Commission (the US government body responsible for regulating the event) to be informed?
- Why did USADA charge a reported fee in the region of $150,000 to carry out the testing for Mayweather vs Pacquiao? Remember, USADA is a non profit organisation – was this fee a bit over the top?
It must be pointed out however, that team Mayweather has categorically denied breaking any guidelines for IV use and Floyd has had an excellent record in the sport as a clean athlete – and has never failed a drug test.
USADA have also issued a full press release response to these initial reports, which can be found at Ben from Fight Hype’s website here.
Floyd himself took to Twitter last night to address the issue:
The list of questions can go on and on, but the issue really, seems to pertain to the lack of transparency surrounding the actual use of the IV injections themselves, more than anything.
No doubt the full facts will emerge on this story in the coming weeks – following Floyd’s final fight tomorrow night against Andre Berto.
It’s business as usual for the “Money” man this weekend, when he returns to action for what could be the last time, as he bids to equal the legendary Rocky Marciano’s renowned fight record of 49-0.
(Image credit: WADA and Floyd Mayweather Twitter)
The post Controversy surrounds Mayweather on eve of final fight appeared first on %%Boxing News and Views/%%.
