Juan Manuel Marquez

LAS VEGAS - The erratic state of drug testing in boxing is perhaps best revealed in the absence of scrutiny faced by Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez before their Saturday fight. Neither boxer has submitted a blood or urine sample. "I would like uniform testing, but there's no plan," said veteran fight promoter Gary Shaw, who is not involved in the Pacquiao-Marquez bout. "It has to start with the boxing commissions, and they have to get serious about it. Barry Bonds, he was hitting baseballs for home runs.

Manny Pacquiao will next fight April 16 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, the boxer's promoter announced Wednesday, with an important asterisk attached. Promoter Bob Arum said that if Floyd Mayweather Jr. and his representatives fail in the coming weeks to express interest in arranging a super-fight with Pacquiao, then Pacquiao will decide if he wants to fight Juan Manuel Marquez, Shane Mosley or Andre Berto. Arum, Pacquiao and trainer Freddie Roach will discuss the subject when they gather in the Philippines for Pacquiao's 32nd birthday party Dec. 17. Pacquiao will have the final say, according to Arum.

Manny Pacquiao's skyrocketing popularity created chaos that no mere mortal could be expected to balance. Pacquiao (54-3-2, 38 knockouts) appeared more human than ever in his last fight, however. As he prepares now for his next bout June 9 against Timothy Bradley, Pacquiao and his trainer acknowledge Everyman's frailty has been his most imposing contender. "All the distractions caught up to Manny in his last fight," Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach said Thursday of the boxer's narrow decision over Juan Manuel Marquez in November.

Reporting from Las Vegas -- This was not the look of victory; it was the despair of lost mystique. Yes, Las Vegas judges Glenn Trowbridge and Dave Moretti delivered Manny Pacquiao a crowd-stunning majority-decision victory over Juan Manuel Marquez on Saturday night at MGM Grand Garden Arena. But Pacquiao's reactions spoke of something different. Defeat. PHOTOS: Pacquiao vs. Marquez While Marquez, 38, briefly basked in the celebration of an apparent triumph after the 12th round, lifting his right fist to the air as if to forever puncture the cloud of close-call shortcomings versus Pacquiao, the Filipino superstar retreated to his corner to kneel and pray.

LAS VEGAS - Manny Pacquiao released a statement the morning after being brutally knocked unconscious by Juan Manuel Marquez at the close of the sixth round: "I am fine. I am looking forward to a nice rest and then I will be back to fight. " Marquez, at 39, might never have an opportunity to walk away from fighting on such a high after his dramatic moment of vindication that followed three bitter decisions against Pacquiao: two losses and a draw. Yet veteran promoter Bob Arum said he expects Marquez to return for a fight Arum believes is now the most wanted bout on the landscape: Marquez-Pacquiao V. "It depends on how much money Marquez wants to make," Arum said Sunday, assuring the Mexican fighter's $6 million guaranteed purse from Saturday will be amplified because of his stunning performance.

TOLUCA, Mexico -- For more than six centuries Mexicans have believed there are special powers hidden in the towering Nevado de Toluca volcano. In pre-Columbian days, Aztec religious leaders would hike the 15,354 feet to the volcano's two craters to make offerings to the feared rain god Tlaloc.

From Las Vegas — Boxing will give its fans another nice appetizer Saturday night. Promoter Bob Arum, a master of such things, has kept hamburger sliders as a mainstay on his fight menu. Manny Pacquiao, the world's current top fighter, both in the ring and in fans' perception, will take on Juan Manuel Marquez at the MGM Grand Garden. They will fight at 144 pounds, a catchweight and a concept that is becoming the norm in making big fights. The WBO welterweight title is at stake, but the only people who care about that are the WBO sanctioning people, who are here on expense accounts.

It came as fast and swift as a punch thrown seconds after the opening bell. Boxer Floyd Mayweather held a media conference call Tuesday to promote his return to the ring Sept. 19 at Las Vegas' MGM Grand in a welterweight fight against Juan Manuel Marquez, but questions about two separate police cases quickly came up. "My main thing is to focus on the fight," Mayweather said. "Anything else, I'm not worried about. I try to focus on positive things." Las Vegas police are investigating a shooting outside a skating rink, and last week seized two handguns, ammunition and two bulletproof vests from Mayweather's home and two cars.

Manny Pacquiao's fall opponent was supposed to be known by now. He's not, and neither is the date of the Pacquiao's next fight. Pacquiao's promoter Bob Arum told The Times on Tuesday he's still "waiting to hear" from Pacquiao about his intentions. Arum said he remained in "conversations" with possible opponents, including Miguel Cotto, but gave little information beyond that. "I can't go blabbing to the press, who will trust me?" Arum said. "I have no date set, nothing.

The only hint of nearby legendary greatness is a handwritten sign on an orange parking cone on the fourth step of a concrete staircase in the back of a strip mall in Hollywood. The sign says that the Wild Card Gym will be closed at 1 p.m. It doesn't get more specific, but anybody who knows anything about boxing knows the reason. Manny Pacquiao will be training on this day. This is as organized as it gets at the Wild Card Gym. Before 1 p.m., as well as every day when Pacquiao is not in town to train for another fight, the Wild Card is wonderful chaos.