Report: Mayweather took illegal IV shots prior to Pacquiao fight

MANILA, Philippines – An in-depth report from a boxing website claimed that Floyd Mayweather Jr. received intravenous (IV) shots containing vitamins before his megabuck showdown with Manny Pacquiao last May.

The sbnation.com report, penned by renowned boxing investigative writer Thomas Hauser, said that while the drugs were not illegal according to the standards of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), their IV administration is prohibited.

Mayweather’s camp reportedly had the injections to avoid dehydration.

Hauser’s report added that the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), which conducted random drug tests on Mayweather and Pacquiao, granted a retroactive therapeutic use exemption (TUE) to Mayweather for the injections 18 days after the fight.

The same report claimed that Mayweather took the IV shots 20 days before the actual fight in Las Vegas. It added that USADA did not inform the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC), which supervised the bout, about the injections.

Ironically, Pacquiao himself was prohibited by the NSAC from taking anti-inflammatory shots a few hours before the fight to numb the pain in his right shoulder. The Filipino icon sustained a torn rotator cuff while training for Mayweather.

Mayweather outpointed Pacquiao in what came down as the richest boxing match in history.

Drug testing had been a central issue in negotiations for the super fight, with Mayweather insisting that he and Pacquiao undergo Olympic-style drug testing conducted by USADA.