During the initial phase of the now aborted Manny Pacquiao – Floyd Mayweather fight, Bob Arum initially wanted the fight to be held at the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Golden Boy’s second chief Richard Schaefer scoffed the idea, saying Mayweather does not like it because it is an outdoor stadium.
But with the recent development of things, some little details broke the surface. It may probably be the biggest reason why Mayweather never wanted the Dallas Cowboys Stadium to host the fight – he was using a widely-banned illegal substance. The irony is that such drug is legal in, coincidentally, the state of Nevada.
In an article written by Frank Gonzales in April 21, 2002, it was revealed that Floyd Mayweather has been using a painkiller called Xylocaine to treat the pain caused by his brittle hands, which have been injured numerous times in the past.
However, Xylocaine is proven to enhance a boxer’s performance.
It effectively numbs the boxer’s hands, making it less susceptible to pain caused by punching constantly. With the pain efficiently blocked out, Xylocaine, in effect, enables the boxer to throw more powerful shots. If that is the case, then Mayweather may not have been fighting on a levelled playing field in some of his fights.
And to call Pacquiao a steroids user when in fact he has a history of using a widely-banned drug not only tarnishes his reputation as a boxer, but also brings his legacy to a pool of mud. Soaked and dirtied, there is no way Mayweather can clean this one. The karmic boomerang does hurt.