Silva admits to ‘therapeutic’ PED usage—report

MANILA, Philippines — Anderson Silva, the former Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight champion, will admit to the Nevada State Athletic Commission that he did use performance enhancing drugs (PEDs).

According to UFC.com, where they cited Brazilian website UOL, Silva took PEDs to help him recover from his leg injury that he sustained in 2013 against UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman.

Silva will testify before the NSAC regarding his intake of PEDs but the hearing still has no specific date.

His lawyers would argue, as per UFC, that Silva’s use of the PEDs were minimal and did not give him any advantage over Nick Diaz in his return fight on January 31.

Silva is currently on a temporary suspension from the NSAC after testing positive for the steroids Drostanolone and Androstane on January 9, and Drostanolone on January 31 following his UFC 183 bout against Diaz.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Mayweather called before Nevada boxing commission

LAS VEGAS—Once again, Floyd Mayweather Jr. has some explaining to do.

Nevada boxing regulators have ordered Mayweather to appear before them next week to answer questions about scenes aired on the Showtime network prior to his fight Saturday night against Marcos Maidana. Specifically, they want to ask Mayweather about two lengthy fights in his gym where neither fighter got a rest break, and another scene showing marijuana being used at his Las Vegas mansion.

“We all know TV is drama but our main responsibility is the health and safety of fighters,” said Francisco Aguilar, head of the Nevada State Athletic Commission. “Before we draw a conclusion about what we saw on TV we want to make sure we have all the information.”

Mayweather is shown on the “All Access” show promoting his fight cheering on two fighters at his gym who fought 31 minutes straight without taking a break. Mayweather explained on camera that the fighters would go until one of them quit, much like fights used to be in the early days of boxing a century ago.

“The dog house — the rules are you fight till whoever quits,” Mayweather said.

Aguilar said he is concerned that fighters could be hurt by not having rest breaks and proper attention in the ring. He said it is the commission’s duty to protect fighters, whether it is in sparring or in the ring during a real fight.

“I want to ensure that what they’re doing is in the best interest of fighters,” Aguilar said.

Mayweather will appear Tuesday before the commission both in his role as a fighter and a promoter. His Mayweather Promotions was licensed earlier this year to promote fights, and he has a stable of fighters who train at his Las Vegas gym.

Mayweather will also be questioned about a scene in the show where he watched as several women rolled marijuana joints in his home, though Aguilar said it was not his major concern. Mayweather did not smoke, but at one point told an assistant to go buy more rolling papers for the women.

Mayweather is listed as the executive producer of “All Access,” a promotional series which aired in the weeks before the fight. He has talked often about Showtime allowing him to be in charge of content for the show, which shows him and his opponent preparing for their fight.

Mayweather was also the center of controversy a few days before the fight when he suggested that Ray Rice’s original 2-game suspension should have been his only punishment, and that worse things than Rice punching his then-fiancée in an elevator happen behind closed doors in other people’s homes. Mayweather later apologized for the comments, saying he shouldn’t have been asked about Rice in the first place.

Mayweather won a unanimous 12-round decision over Maidana in their rematch to improve his record to 47-0.

source: sports.inquirer.net

One Pacquiao-Bradley judge replaced

MANILA, Philippines—Staying true to correct the blunder off years past, the Nevada State Athletic Commission has subbed one judge for the rematch of Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley.

According to Dan Rafael of ESPN, Craig Metcalfe of Canada replaced John Keane of Britain after the latter was reportedly ill and would be unable to travel for the fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Top Rank vice president Carl Moretti informed the international sports website Tuesday.

In his report, Rafael said that the NCSA and its chairman, Francisco Aguilar, informed Top Rank, which promotes both fighters, of the change in the judges’ lineup.

Glenn Throwbridge of Nevada and Michael Pernick of Florida are still on-board while Kenny Bayless is still the third man atop the ring.

source: sports.inquirer.net

No review of Pacquiao-Bradley despite Arum criticisms, says Nevada State Athletic Commission

In spite of accusations from Top Rank CEO Bob Arum and tweets from UFC president Dana White calling the Nevada State Athletic Commission the "worst" in the U.S., the organization is not expected to discipline or review any of the judges in Saturday's (Sunday, PHL time) split-decision win by Timothy Bradley over Manny Pacquiao for the WBO welterweight title.

Nevada State Athletic Commission Executive Director Keith Kizer told the Los Angeles Times' Lance Pugmire that no such action would be needed, saying, "Every fighter who loses a close fight looks at the judges."

He also conceded however, "I think every judge should strive to get better."

Kizer's comments came on the heels of criticisms from Arum and White after the controversial result kept Bradley's undefeated streak alive, while causing Pacquiao to drop his title.

Arum told Yahoo Sports' Kevin Iole that he wanted an investigation to see if someone rigged the outcome of the bout.

"I want to investigate whether there was any undue influence, whether the [Nevada Athletic Commission] gave any particular instruction and how they came to this conclusion," said Arum.

"If this was a subjective view that each of [the judges] honestly held, OK. I would still disagree, but then we're off the hook in terms of there being no conspiracy. But there needs to be an independent investigation because it strains credulity that an event everybody saw as one-sided on way all three judges saw it as close. It strains credulity."

Arum also said he would hold off on a Pacquiao-Bradley rematch until Nevada attorney general Catherine Cortez Masto agreed to such a probe.

UFC President Dana White was also unafraid to share his opinion regarding the match, tweeting out to his followers, "Nevada state athletic commission at its finest!!! You've for to be f***ing kidding me!! that is disgusting Nevada state athletic commission!!" and "Worst athletic commission in the country!!!!!!!"

Earlier today, judges Duane Ford and Jerry Roth defended their scores in an interview with Steve Carp of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Ford said that he thought "Bradley gave Pacquiao a boxing lesson," and thus scored it 115-113 for Bradley.

Roth, who gave the match to Pacquiao, 115-113, said, "[Despite the last three rounds] I still thought Pacquiao had done enough to win."

The third judge, CJ Ross, declined to comment. She scored it 115-113 for Bradley.

Nevada State Athletic Commission chairman Skip Avansino reiterated what co-worker Keith Kizer said when asked if the judges acted inappropriately, saying, "We had three seasoned professionals working and I don't question their determinations.

"I'm not going to second-guess our judges."

Curiously, Arum was hit with a $125,000 fine by the Nevada State Athletic Commission back in 1995, due to an attempt to bribe the International Boxing Federation. At the time, it was the highest fine ever issued, Sports Illustrated wrote. - AMD, GMA News

source: gmanetwork.com