Floyd Mayweather’s insistence on Olympic-style drug-testing was a ruse he concocted to wiggle out of a showdown with Manny Pacquiao last March. Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach is convinced the Money Man hatched the excuse because he wasn’t ready to meet Pacquiao after just one tune-up bout – against a much smaller Juan Manuel Marquez – coming off a 21-month hiatus.
“My thoughts are he (Mayweather) needed more time because one fight under your belt after a couple of years off isn’t enough to get you sharp to fight a guy like Manny,” said Roach in his guest column in London’s weekly magazine Boxing News (March 19). “He realizes that and put himself in a corner where he ended up having to fight a guy who’s maybe just as tough in Shane Mosley.”
Roach said Mayweather’s strategy backfired.
“The blood tests, it’s all BS,” continued Roach in explaining his conspiracy theory. “He doesn’t care about that. He says he won’t fight in Texas because of Xylocaine (a painkiller injected into the hands). I don’t care. He can have that. He found out Manny didn’t like giving blood and just took off with it.
“There are no negotiations with drug-testing that we will deal with because he doesn’t run the sport, the commissions do. Next thing you know, we’ll be fighting two-minute rounds and wearing 15-ounce gloves.”
Roach’s conspiracy theory ranks among the most notorious cover-ups in the history of sports.
* * * *
Writers Elliott Kalb and Mark Weinstein recently published a book to unravel the 30 greatest sports conspiracy theories of all time. One of the theories they cited involved the two Muhammad Ali-Sonny Liston world heavyweight title fights.
The first Ali-Liston bout was held on Feb. 25, 1964. Liston, the defending titlist, had a dubious reputation as an ex-convict. Sport scribe Jimmy Cannon described Liston as “a mugger, a cop-slugger, a stickup man, a strong-arm guy and a bodyguard for the mandarins of the St. Louis mobs...time spent in penitentiaries helped to form Liston’s attitude...he is generally hostile, suspicious, rudely curt, surly and menacingly indifferent.”
Liston’s links to organized crime were well-known and documented. He had ties with St. Louis underworld figure John Vitale and Northeast Mafia luminaries Frankie Carbo and Blinky Palermo. Liston figured in 12 fights while under contract with Carbo and Palermo. Carbo was later indicted on conspiracy charges, multiple counts of undercover management of prizefighters and unlicensed matchmaking, said Kalb and Weinstein.
Liston was an 8-1 favorite to whip Ali, then known as Cassius Clay, at the Miami Convention Hall. But the oddsmakers were shamed by Ali. Displaying dizzying handspeed and nifty footwork, Ali ran rings around Liston who surrendered in his stool after six rounds.
“Liston at the time had a close relationship with a flamboyant underworld figure named Ashe Resnick (who) owned the Vegas casino where Liston trained,” said Kalb and Weinstein. “Did Resnick orchestrate a gambling bonanza by ordering Liston to lose? All sorts of conspiracy theories have been bandied about over the pair of fights. Some have involved mobsters making millions from betting against Liston. Others involved Black Muslims threatening Liston’s life. Some have the organized crime figures of Liston’s entourage conspiring with the Black Muslims from Ali’s camp.”
The day after Clay the Louisville Lip wrested the world crown from Liston, he announced his affiliation with the Black Muslims as Muhammad Ali.
* * * *
The rematch was staged on May 25, 1965, in Lewiston, Maine, and Liston was installed an 8-5 favorite. This time, the ending was quick but hardly sweet. Ali landed only two punches. Liston collapsed in a heap. Referee Jersey Joe Walcott didn’t start the count right away as Ali ran around the ring deliriously and had to be ordered to stay in a neutral corner. Liston appeared to be trying to get up but Walcott ruled it was all over when the timekeeper confirmed he had counted to 10. The “phantom punch” did the trick or so it seemed.
Writer Norman Mailer said the fight created a scandal.
“I haven’t seen a phantom punch pack that much strength outside of a Bugs Bunny cartoon,” continued Kalb and Weinstein. “One popular theory is that Liston owed a ton of money to organized crime figures so he bet against himself and didn’t want to risk landing a lucky punch. Another popular theory is that Liston was afraid of the Black Muslims. Liston’s widow believes the second fight was fixed and that Sonny took that secret to the grave. In the final days of 1970, Liston was found dead in his home at the age of 38, in mysterious circumstances. The investigation couldn’t prove much and many people claimed it was an overdose. But others believe that Liston was murdered.”
It’s intriguing to point out that the first fight was held in Miami Beach where the convention center’s capacity was only 8,300 and the rematch was in Maine where the St. Dominic’s Hall pulled in an attendance of just 2,434. Madison Square Garden and other big-city arenas in Los Angeles and Las Vegas could’ve been more appropriate hosts. Perhaps, the promoters wanted a controlled atmosphere in smaller venues to “manage” affairs.
Kalb and Weinstein listed seven other fights that they said were “likely fixed.” One was the 1990 bout between unbeaten Julio Cesar Chavez and Meldrick Taylor. Referee Richard Steele stopped the fight with two seconds left in the last round, preventing Taylor from winning a split decision and allowing Chavez to keep his unblemished record. Taylor led comfortably in two judges scorecards at the time of the stoppage – 107-102 (Dave Moretti) and 108-101 (Jerry Roth). Chuck Giampa had it 105-104 for Chavez.
Another was the 1992 duel between Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield. The fight wound up a split draw even as Lewis was clearly the superior fighter. Judge Eugenia Williams was castigated in ring circles for awarding Holyfield the fifth round which Lewis undoubtedly dominated. In the end, Williams scored it, 115-113, for Holyfield, judge Stanley Christoudoulou, 116-113, for Lewis and judge Larry O’Connell a 115-115 draw.
In boxing, what else is new?