FORMER world welterweight champion Kermit Cintron has now joined Floyd Mayweather Sr. in accusing Filipino boxing hero Manny Pacquiao as being on steroids.
Cintron made the claim on the radio talk show of Pedro Fernandez, while Mayweather Sr., who made the same claims prior to his son Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s fight against Juan Manuel Marquez last October said: “That is my belief. It is what it is.”
In a complete twist to the axiom that an individual is innocent until proven guilty, the arrogant Mayweather Sr. added: “If it ain’t that, prove it.”
Both Cintron and Mayweather Sr., apparently paid no attention to Nevada State Athletic Commission executive director Keith Kizer, who recently told Standard Today, that the NSAC has tested Pacquiao before and after every fight and found no traces of steroids, drugs or any illegal substance.
Pacquiao arrived in a convoy late Sunday in Las Vegas. Riding with the pound-for-pound king was his wife Jinkee, whom he picked up the day before at the Los Angeles airport after she flew in from her husband’s hometown of General Santos City.
The Filipino warrior sparred four rounds with longtime sparring partner Raymund Beltran in a light workout.
ABS-CBN’s Dyan Castillejo reported that Pacquiao looked “in great shape and really strong,” which was what conditioning expert Alex Ariza maintained.
Ariza told Standard Today that many people will be surprised that on fight night, Pacquiao will be bigger and stronger than World Boxing Organization welterweight champion Miguel Cotto, with whom he clashes in a “Fire Power” showdown at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Sunday (Manila time), to be telecast by Solar Sports.
Although Cotto has been in Las Vegas for the past week and Pacquiao arrived yesterday morning, boxing’s no. 1 and the reigning Fighter of the Year, together with three-time world champion Puerto Rican, will make their MGM Grand arrivals today, officially kicking off their sold-out welterweight championship mega fight.
Pacquiao and Cotto will arrive at the MGM Grand’s Front Lobby Porte Cochere at 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., respectively. Pacquiao (49-3-2, 37 KOs) is in search of a record-shattering seventh world title in a seventh weight division, while Cotto (34-1, 27 KOs) said he is confident of retaining his crown and doesn’t plan to surrender it to Pacquiao. Cotto has held a world title since 2004.
