Pacquiao, Marquez drug tests clean; skeptics remain

Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez passed their pre- and post-fight drug tests from their Dec. 8 fight at the MGM Grand Garden. That doesn't mean the cloud of suspicion has lifted.

In the wake of Marquez's dramatic one-punch knockout of Pacquiao in the sixth round, there are some in the boxing world who doubt Marquez attained his enhanced physique naturally.

Keith Kizer, executive director of the Nevada Athletic Commission, attributes such doubts to "ignorance."

"There's a small segment of the population that believes everyone is cheating, regardless of the result. There's nothing I can say that will defeat that ignorance," Kizer said. "All we can control are the tests we administered, and both Mr. Marquez's and Mr. Pacquiao's tests came back clean."

All 44 boxers who participated on the card passed their drug tests, Kizer said. All were tested for steroids, diuretics and masking agents as well as recreational drugs such as marijuana and cocaine. The tests do not cover EPO or Human Growth Hormone.

The NAC is empowered to conduct out-of-competition tests on boxers and mixed martial artists, and has done so. Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Miguel Cotto each was tested twice before their fight in May. Those tests came back negative.

But the commission didn't use out-of-competition testing for Pacquiao-Marquez IV.

"We've tested them in the past, and they've always come back negative," Kizer said.

The locations of the fighters' training camps also might have been a factor in that decision. Marquez conducted most of his camp in Mexico City, while Pacquiao trained for three weeks in the Philippines and then five weeks in Los Angeles. Ensuring the quality of tests from foreign laboratories as well as the additional costs might have factored into the decision.

Kizer conceded that speculation that fighters aren't 100 percent clean despite negative test results might not be such a bad thing.

"The fact the public is becoming more and more frustrated with the cowards who use prohibitive substances, the better it is for the sport," Kizer said. "It's good the public is gaining less tolerance compared to the lax attitude of the past.

"I think the fighters realize that the consequences are even greater now, not just in respect to the commission but to the fans and to possible sponsorship opportunities."

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter: @stevecarprj.