By: Harold Sparks
Ever since Floyd Mayweather Jr accused Manny Pacquiao of using performance-enhancing drugs, boxing has not been the same. Although the sport has not changed radically, the successes of current and past champions have been called into question as many people now wonder if certain great champions were on the magic pills. In some cases, as in the case of Fernando Vargas, there is doubt that performance-enhancing drugs can actually do just that in the sport of boxing. However, some say that, when properly used, these drugs can definitely benefit boxers. Because of this, there has been a rising suspicion regarding the ageless boxing wonder, former middleweight and light heavyweight champion Bernard Hopkins.
In the aftermath of Mayweather Jr’s allegations regarding Pacquiao, most fans unfairly wrote him off as some sort of disgruntled, ghetto coward. Although Mayweather Jr has managed to avoid the best welterweights of the past ten years, this may actually be a testament to his genius as opposed to cowardice since he has been able to make himself very rich while taking very few risks. Meanwhile, Pacquiao went on to demonstrate that his success in the ring is due mostly to his increased skill level and an incredible heart that allows him to bravely go into the fire with larger opponents.
However, is it possible that Floyd Mayweather Jr was on to something? All you need to do is look at the 46 year old Hopkins to realize that he has achieved something out of the norm. Hopkins often boasts that in spite of his age, he physically feels as if he is in his twenties. Historically, fighters over the age of 40 in boxing are ancient and physically way past their prime. In this day and age with so many supplements and performance enhancing drugs, the fans have to wonder if there is more than meets the eye when it comes to the physique of the ancient Bernard Hopkins.
“Listen, I don’t know much about boxing or baseball but to me it’s all the same thing. That man Hopkins has either found the fountain of youth or something is up. These guys need to stop cheating and take the test because this stuff is not just happening in baseball. Some things just ain’t natural for your age. I’m in my thirties and I take Viagra but do I lie about it and cheat my wife into thinking I’m naturally some kind of a Superman. I don’t and that is the same respect that sports fan should be given. I only pray that Mark Mcguire and Barry Bonds don’t take up boxing because all you need to do is look at how hard they hit those homeruns and you can imagine how hard they punch. I think the real question is why is the testing enforced in one sport, baseball, and not in the other, boxing, when both sports are virtually the same in my opinion. I have a feeling that this is another case of the white man protecting baseball and not boxing because most boxers are black.”
Dolo - Muslim sports activist
Some sources have indicated that Mayweather Jr suggested to the current light heavyweight champion, Jean Pascal, that the former ex con and ex champion Bernard Hopkins is using illegal performance enhancing drugs. Jean Pascal immediately attacked Hopkins regarding this during a March press conference and Hopkins’ reaction was suspicious for many of the onlookers. Hopkins became enraged and indicated that he would take the tests required by the athletic commission. Of course, as Mayweather Jr’s team has pointed out, most cheaters are able to defeat the testing done by the commissions and an athlete like Bernard Hopkins would be well aware of this. Because of situations like this, the Mayweather team has wisely recommended that Olympic style random blood testing be enforced.
Will the vilified Mayweather Jr be eventually honored as a pioneer that helped to clean up the sport of boxing? Will Bernard Hopkins submit to Olympic style drug testing?
Only time will tell.
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