Column: ALL WRITE

 

AL S. MENDOZA

STEROIDS & ALL,

IT’S ALL HYPE IF

YOU ASK ME

NOW, it is Juan Manuel Marquez’s turn to become a Manny Pacquiao.

The latest report is that Marquez has grown so big—bulging muscles and all—that he might have been into steroids himself to gain all that poundage.

As the world knows, Marquez is a natural 135-pounder.

He agreed to fight Pacquiao at a catch weight 144 lb on November 13 (Manila Time) in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Last week, Alex Ariza, Pacquiao’s conditioning expert, said he was surprised to see Marquez grow “unusually big.”

Marquez didn’t like that and hurled a challenge he was willing to undergo a blood test to prove he is not into steroids or something.

“All this info on Angel is news to me,” said Marquez, quoted by Abac Cordero of Star.  “I worked very hard and I will do any test they want as long as Manny does, too.”

Angel is Angel “Memo” Hernandez, who was found guilty of selling illegal substance and steroids to Olympic stars Marion Jones and Tim Montgomery.

That was in 2008, eight years after the 2000 Sydney Olympics where I had brushed elbows with Marion and Tim while I was covering the Games then for the Inquirer.

Hernandez now handles Marquez’s conditioning for the much-ballyhooed third meeting between Marquez and Pacquiao.

Pacquiao himself had been in Marquez’s shoes, when Floyd Mayweather Jr. accused Pacquiao of taking steroids to build up on muscles.

Mayweather’s recklessness earned him a libel suit from Pacquiao.  Said case remains unresolved in a Nevada court.

But unlike Mayweather, Ariza was extra careful with his choice of words over Marquez’s sudden transformation, merely saying, “Marquez must be working with a good team.”

I just hope, though, that all this talk on steroids is all hype.

At this stage, we don’t want anything to spoil the party as it’s only days away when the trilogy is on between Pacquiao and Marquez.

Soon, we’ll hear it said atop the ring, “Let’s get ready to rumble!”

I can’t wait to see Pacquiao silence the one man that’s been bugging him all this time.

Even Freddie Roach, Pacquiao’s trainer for 11 years or so, wants an early knockout win for the Pacman.

Let’s bring it on.