The new of the boxing world was shaken immensely by Floyd Mayweather’s departure from HBO to Showtime today. The news didn’t stop there as Mickey Bey Jr. tested positive in Nevada for an elevated testosterone level. Now taken to the twitter world moments ago, Nonito Donaire stated that he would not be attending the press conference to announce his April 13th fight with Guillermo Rigondeaux because according to Donaire, Rigondeaux has backed out of his agreement to do VADA testing.
From Donaire’s twitter statement, “I am not going to the NYC for the presser This Thursday bc Rigo is backing off his agreement to VADA Testing. Rigo’s team verbally agreed to VADA testing both online and in negotiations. But now that the contract to start testing is in front of them, they are finding every excuse not to sign and delay the start of the testing. I have not signed my fight contract yet to fight him so I have no obligation to only fight him.”
Donaire continued with his displeasure with top boxers not going forward with testing. “It disappoints me that top fighters these days run from everything that will hold professional boxing integrity to its highest standard. I will be looking into other opponents with my manager Cameron Dunkin immediately.”
However Caribe Promotions who co-promotes Rigondeaux answered back in spanish stating that they have complied and Donaire is just running his mouth and that they are on their way to New York for the press conference tommorow
With the boxing schedule being what it is with injuries and postponements, this will only be another blow to an already slow year of 2013. Donaire has said in the past that he invites his opponents to partake in VADA testing but it’s not a requirement in being his opponent. Seems like today, his stance has changed especially due to the fact that Rigondeaux’s team verbally agreed to the testing according to Donaire.
With the press conference this Thursday to officially announce the fight between the two, it will be interesting to see how this plays out and where Donaire goes from here if this fight falls apart and after the debacle that was the Donaire-Mares negotiations. Donaire was also rumored to fight Vic Darchinyan which would be a rematch where Donaire knocked out Darchinyan. Not many fight fans seemed too thrilled with that and certainly would be a drop off from Mares to Rigondeaux, and now Darchinyan.