Injured Pacquiao faces possible sanctions

Wednesday, 6 May 2015 01:41 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Reuters: The fallout from the ‘Fight of the Century’ became murkier on Monday with possible lawsuits in the works and Manny Pacquiao likely to face disciplinary action for failing to disclose a pre-bout shoulder injury.

Filipino Pacquiao lost on a unanimous decision to undefeated American Floyd Mayweather Jr in a heavily hyped welterweight showdown in Las Vegas on Saturday that is expected to be the top grossing prize fight of all time. Barely one hour after the contest ended, Pacquiao’s promoter, Bob Arum, said the 36-year-old southpaw had been hampered by an ‘old’ injury to his right shoulder. On Monday, an MRI scan in Los Angeles confirmed the boxer has a torn rotator cuff that will require surgery. The major problem here is that apparently neither Pacquiao nor his team informed the Nevada Athletic Commission about the shoulder issue until a couple of hours before the start of the fight when they asked for an anti-inflammatory injection. At that point, it was too late for the commission to investigate whether or not Pacquiao was suffering a genuine injury and there were no MRIs or medical paperwork to support the claim made by the boxer’s team, the commission said. “The first I heard of this was at 6:08 (p.m. PT) when he (Pacquiao) arrived in the locker room,” commission chairman Francisco Aguilar told reporters during the post-fight news conferences. “I have no proof of the injury. If he told us on Friday, we would have gotten the MRIs and there are a lot of things we could have done.” While the commission was seemingly kept in the dark, and clearly no boxer wants to give an opponent any hint of possible weakness or injury ahead of a fight, the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) was fully aware of Pacquiao’s injury. The Filipino suffered the injury during a sparring session at the Wild Card Boxing Club in Los Angeles last month and USADA, after being consulted by Team Pacquiao, permitted treatment through Toradol, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory. Pacquiao’s promoter said in a statement on Monday that doctors had “concluded that with short rest, treatments and close monitoring, Manny could train and, on 2 May, step into the ring against Floyd Mayweather”.

Mayweather open to rematch with Pacquiao

Reuters: Floyd Mayweather added another wrinkle to the fallout of his fight against Manny Pacquiao by saying he would be open to a rematch after the Filipino southpaw recovers from shoulder surgery, according to an ESPN report on Tuesday.

Mayweather has one fight remaining on his Showtime contract and has repeatedly said he intends to retire after a bout fight in September, although after Saturday’s fight he told reporters that he is “human” and occasionally contradicts himself. “I will fight him in a year after his surgery,” Mayweather, who earned a unanimous decision over Pacquiao, told Smith in a text on Tuesday, according to ESPN. His reported comments added to the complicated aftermath of the so-called ‘Fight of the Century’ with possible lawsuits in the works and Pacquiao likely to face disciplinary action for failing to disclose a pre-bout shoulder injury. Barely one hour after the contest ended, Pacquiao’s promoter, Bob Arum, said the 36-year-old southpaw had been hampered by a previous injury to his right shoulder. On Monday, an MRI scan in Los Angeles confirmed the boxer has a torn rotator cuff that will require surgery. Apparently neither Pacquiao nor his team informed the Nevada Athletic Commission about the shoulder issue until a couple of hours before the start of the fight when they asked for an anti-inflammatory injection. At that point, it was too late for the commission to investigate whether Pacquiao was suffering a genuine injury and there were no MRIs or medical paperwork to support the claim made by the boxer’s team, the commission said. When Team Pacquiao filled in its pre-fight medical questionnaire on Friday, a query about any shoulder injury was clearly marked “No” before the form was signed by Pacquiao and his advisor. The fact that Pacquiao did not disclose his injury until the night of the fight could also lead to possible lawsuits from boxing fans who may feel cheated after paying record sums for tickets in the MGM Grand Garden Arena or pay-for-view (PPV). Some of the ringside spots in the 16,800-seat arena demanded up to $350,000 on resale site StubHub while a record $ 300 million or more is expected in PPV revenue from at least three million customers who paid $ 100 to watch.

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