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Pacquiao camp calls out Mayweather

DALLAS, November 14 – Freddie Roach threw down the gauntlet to Floyd Mayweather, saying the undefeated American boxer needs to stop talking about beating Manny Pacquiao and prove it in the ring.

"Mayweather has to put up or shut up now or move out of the country," Pacquiao’s trainer Roach said. "Let’s face it. Manny is way above him at this point.

"Because I remember when he was ducking (Antonio) Margarito and he wouldn’t fight him either.

"If he doesn’t fight Manny now (Mayweather) should retire."

Roach said Pacquiao stuck to the game plan Saturday at Cowboys Stadium and it paid off in one of the most impressive victories of Filipino fighter’s career as Pacquiao pounded out a 12-round unanimous decision over Mexico’s Margarito.

Pacquiao, who has won 13 consecutive fights since losing to Erik Morales in March 2005, was planning to face unbeaten Mayweather earlier this year before negotiations broke off over a drug-testing dispute.

Heading into Saturday’s fight some had speculated this might be the Filipino’s last fight but Pacquiao said two days ago that he wants to have three more fights. And after the way he bloodied, bruised and disfigured Margarito’s face it looks like the sport’s pound-for-pound champion is still at the top of his game.

Roach made good on his promise to personally go into Margarito’s dressing room before the fight to watch the taping of his hands. Margarito is coming off a one year ban from the sport after getting caught using illegal wraps in a fight against Shane Mosley.

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Now a new controversy has erupted from the dressing rooms as Roach on Sunday said Margarito attempted to take the drug ephedrine before the world title fight.

Roach said they asked that Margarito undergo a drug test immediately.

"He (Margarito) pulled a bottle of ephedrine out of his bag," Roach said.

"My guy called him on it and he put the pill down and didn’t take it. Ephedrine is illegal. I said I want a drug test right now. He did have it in his bag and he did attempt to take it."

Athletes sometimes use ephedrine because it increased energy and alertness.

"It is like three cups of coffee. It is like speed. It picks you up," Roach said.

Ephedrine is banned by the International Olympic Committee and major sports the National Football League, Major League Baseball and the National Basketball Association.

Roach said Saturday’s fight went pretty much the way he expected with the bigger stronger Margarito not presenting many surprises for them other than the fact he came into the fight with a 17-pound weight advantage.

All three judges scored the fight in Pacquiao’s favour with one judge Jurgen Langos having Pacquiao winning all 12 rounds.

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Roach thought Margarito, who landed some solid blows in the sixth and eighth round, won just one round.

But the Mexican paid the price as he suffered a nasty gash under his right eye and he failed to show for the post fight news conference because he had to go to the hospital for treatment. Roach didn’t say whether Margarito underwent a drug test after the fight.

"Manny only lost one round and did what he was supposed to do," Roach said. "We worked on going to the ropes and sometimes he stayed there a little too long.

"I told him to box him, beat him down the middle all night long. The jab worked perfectly the straight left hand landed well too. If he had stayed on the body he would have stopped him. Body shots were taking its toll."

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