Floyd Mayweather Given IV Injections Before Manny Pacquiao Fight, USADA Conduct ‘Totally Unacceptable’

Floyd Mayweather Jr. was reported to have been given an intravenous IV injection before his May 2 world title fight with Manny Pacquiao earlier in the year, reports SB Nation.

Mayweather was injected with a 250-milliliter mixture of saline and multivitamins and a 500-milliliter mixture of saline and Vitamin C, substances that are perfectly legal, but IV injections are banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

IV injections can be used to disguise the presence of other substances, and although WADA does allow for exceptions, these only apply if IV injections are given during hospital admissions, surgical procedures, or clinical investigations.

The United States Anti-Doping Agency were sanctioned to oversee random drug testing before the bout and SB Nation claim that USADA collection agents visited Mayweather’s Las Vegas home on the eve of the fight to carry out an unannounced drug test.

It was then Mayweather’s medical team reportedly disclosed to collection agents that IV injections had been administered to Mayweather for rehydration purposes following the weigh-in.

But Mayweather did not receive an exemption from USADA until three weeks after the fight on May 20.

In a statement released on Thursday, USADA sought to clarify the incident.

“Although Mr. Mayweather’s application was not approved until after his fight with Mr. Pacquiao and all tests results were reported, Mr. Mayweather did disclose the infusion to USADA in advance of the IV being administered to him, Furthermore, once the TUE [therapeutic use exemption] was granted, the NSAC and Mr. Pacquiao were immediately notified even though the practice is not prohibited under NSAC rules.”

But USADA did not inform Nevada commission officials and Top Rank, Manny Pacquiao’s promoter, about the IV retroactive therapeutic-use exemption until May 21. It was only when the commission and Top Rank requested more information that they discovered Mayweather had not applied for the exemption until May 19 and received it May 20.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission executive director Bob Bennett, quoted by ESPN, described USADA’s conduct as “totally unacceptable.”

“The TUE for Mayweather’s IV — and the IV was administered at Floyd’s house, not in a medical facility, and wasn’t brought to our attention at the time”I’ve made it clear to [USADA CEO] Travis Tygart that this should not happen again. We have the sole authority to grant any and all TUEs in the state of Nevada. USADA is a drug-testing agency. USADA should not be granting waivers and exemptions. Not in this state. We are less than pleased that USADA acted the way it did.”

[Image Credit: Al Bello/Getty Images]