Saturday, June 26, 2010 at 03:08AM Floyd Mayweather Jr. Makes Savannah Smile >>>
by Suge Green | Sat. June 26, 2010
Willie Savannah, co-trainer and manager of Juan "Baby Bull" Diaz, counts himself among Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s recent admirers. It's not the technical prowess of the pound-for-pound front-runner that has the surrogate father to so many of Texas' amateur fighters taking note. Rather, it's Mayweather's controversial drug-testing demands that have Savannah applauding.
The man behind Houston's Savannah Boxing Club told ONTHEGRiND BOXiNG, "I have a whole lot of respect for Floyd Mayweather. If he takes the stand the way he's taking, it will change boxing the way Muhammad Ali did years ago."
Savannah is outspoken in his belief that boxing should have a higher standard of performance enhancing drug-testing compared to other athletic competitions, due to the combative nature of the sport.
"It's not like your feet are hitting a cinder block track or your feet are hitting the pavement," shared Savannah. "It's not like they are hitting a baseball. You're not dunking a basketball, you're hitting somebody upside the head! I just think that everybody should be willing to take drug tests."
"Everybody that has somebody's life in their hand should take a drug-test," Savannah affirmed.
As much of a proponent of drug-testing as Savannah is, he's not a fan of the post-fight testing that catches drug abusers following a competition.
"There's no point in drug-testing after a fight," Savannah said. "If a guy still goes in the ring and goes 10 or 12 rounds and gets punched upside the head, and then after the fight you find out this guy had all kinds of illegal stuff in him...Well hell, it's too late. The guy has taken a beating, it's too late to find out a guy has got rocks in his gloves after the fight. This has got to be done before the fight."
"What's the point in testing after a fight?" asked Savannah.
"It just doesn't make sense," he explained. "It's too late because once the fight is over with, all the perpetrator is going to get is a suspension and a fine."
Savannah spoke in general terms about drug-testing, as well as the specific situation surrounding the Manny Pacquiao - Floyd Mayweather Jr. super-fight negotiations.
While Pacquiao supporters are quick to point out that Mayweather is looking to capitalize on Pacquiao's apprehensiveness toward having blood drawn, Savannah doesn't allow the issue to sidetrack him.
"I don't see how anybody can be opposed to drug testing." Savannah went on, "I think it's a means to an end that everybody should be tested (in reference to Mayweather possibly jockeying for an advantage). I don't see how anybody can make an argument that says drawing one teaspoon of blood will make you weak 10 days before the fight. I think Mayweather has a real-real good argument."
"As great as Pacquiao is I don't understand why he wouldn't take the test," Savannah concluded.
Reader Comments (4)
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Floyd fears Manny.
the Willie Savannah interview was quality, offered what I consider, a new perspective on the whole drugs row, the boxers' health! To be honest I think he had a great point. The fact he brought up the prescience of the testing, effectively saying it was pointless after the tests raises another interesting debate on the whole Cotto-Margarito affair. As to whether it is fair that one fighter may be punished after the fight even if the other fighter is visibly punished or the rest of his career as a result of the cheating in the first place..
for the rest of hsi career*