Floyd and Paulie

I just read over on The Rumble that Paulie Malignaggi (who, if you don't know, is a loudmouthed junior welterweight) and Floyd Mayweather, Sr., plus some others, have been throwing around steroid accusations about Pacquiao. I found the most asinine of them all to come from Malignaggi, who said he wasn't sure if someone of Pac's size could take punches from Cotto without chemical enhancement. For one thing, the only theoretical improvements steroids could make to your chin would be psychological (more confidence) or minuscule (a slightly stronger neck would prevent the head from whipping around quite so much). And Cotto didn't really throw much to Pacquiao's body, so stronger abdominals would have done practically nothing for Manny. Mayweather, Sr., said he wouldn't step into the ring with Pacquiao even if he was sure he could "whip" him, which, to me, sounds like an excuse established in advance for Floyd, Jr.

Still, steroid accusations are unusual for boxers, because, with the exception of heavyweights, most fighters do not want to gain weight, in order to stay at the lowest weight class they can. Steroids would be counterproductive, especially because the primary advantage derived from them is the ability to recover faster between workouts. Steroids do nothing to supercharge existing muscles (which, based on depictions in pop culture, a lot of people think). They only allow you to add more muscle, faster. Admittedly, Pacquiao's ability to move up so fluidly in weight looks a bit odd, but it's worth remembering the following two things:
1.) He has been a professional boxer since his late teens. That means he has been in training for over a decade, and, what's more, in training to fight at low weights. It takes a lot of effort to maintain a body weight of 120 pounds or less for a man, even a short man with a slight frame. It's not so very unusual that someone whose livelihood depends on low weight would weigh an artificially low amount.
2.) He was, in all likelihood, malnourished as a young man. This is a common problem with poor athletes- before they start to make money, they often have an underdeveloped musculature. Take a look at the Nike Hoop Summit games- almost invariably, big men who come from impoverished nations will be disturbingly skinny. Pacquiao fought professionally for the first time at a weight of 106 pounds- that is simply not a feasible weight for 99% of men on earth. It's not unnatural that he's been able to add weight, given that his frame has probably been capable of supporting the extra mass all along.

If I'm wrong, and he has been juicing, I'd be more than willing to admit being mistaken, but it's often irritating to me that people choose to ignore the obvious suspects (in the NFL, for instance) and go after the most unlikely of targets- a small Filipino prizefighter, for example.