Filipino boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao is due to fight again anytime this month or early next month in Las Vegas, Nevada. The fight however will not take place in a boxing ring. It will be held in a courtroom.
Pacquiao is facing a $5 million lawsuit filed Tuesday morning in a U.S. District Court In Las Vegas. The suit, filed by two Las Vegas residents, seeks damages because Pacquiao failed to disclose his shoulder injury before his fight with Mayweather.
The “Fighting Pride of the Philippines” is also facing possible sanctions from the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) also for non-disclosure of his injury. If found guilty, Pacquiao could be fined or suspended by the NSAC. Pacquiao injured his shoulder in early part of April. Team Pacquiao, however, for unknown reasons, did not reveal the severity of “Pacman’s” injury on the pre-fight questionnaire that was completed during the weigh-in.
According to news reports coming from Las Vegas, the plaintiffs relied on the misrepresentations and non disclosures when purchasing expensive tickets and pay-per-view showings and wagerings on the Mayweather versus Pacquiao fight.
I expect more lawsuits likely to be filed against Pacquiao in the next few days as more and more people will learn about the legal problem “Pacman” is currently facing.
The now controversial injury issue came up only during the post-fight press conference. Newsmen covering the event in the MGM Grand Casino were baffled by the minimal punching output of Pacquiao, known to be an explosive fighter capable of throwing a flurry of punching combinations.
In his 12-round showdown with Mayweather, Pacquiao threw a total 429 punches with only 81 of them connecting. Boxing experts said that that was the fewest number of punches he has thrown against anybody in his 20-year career as a boxer, giving credence to Pacquiao’s revelations that he was fighting Mayweather with only his left hand.
With the shoulder injury issue, Mayweather’s win over Pacquiao will remain questionable. I think Mayweather 48-0 record in his boxing career will have an asterisk. We will never know for sure what would have been the outcome of the fight had Pacquiao went inside ring 100 per cent physically fit.
But to be fair to Mayweather, he came prepared on fight night and fought using his excellent defensive skills. Mayweather even successfully converted the boxing ring into a dance floor. He danced all night in the ring to avoid Pacquiao who continued stalking him, hoping to land one big punch to end the fight. Sadly, our “Pambansang Kamao ” champion failed to deliver the knockout blow to Mayweather.
Freddie Roach, Pacquiao’s trainer, is claiming that his boxer injured his shoulder on April 4 while throwing a right hook against one of his sparring partners. He told the media that they had the injury examined two days later and found out about the tear in Pacquiao’s rotator cuff. They further claimed that they did not disclose the injury hoping that it would heal by itself before the mega fight.
Top Rank Promotions head Bob Arum, on the other hand, disputed the statement made by the NSAC regarding Pacquiao’s non disclosure of his right shoulder injury. He is claiming that NSAC was informed of the injury and that Pacquiao even sought a request to be given anti-inflammatory shots before the bout.
Pacquiao’s request for the anti-inflammatory shots was denied by the NSAC since it was made just two hours before the fight. Michael Konz, Pacquiao’s financial adviser, is taking the blame for “Pacman.” He is claiming that he was the one who answered the questionnaire and had made the error.
Meanwhile, Pacquiao is expected to undergo shoulder surgery this week or early next week in Los Angeles to repair a significant tear in his rotator cuff. Pacquiao went to the Kerlan Jobe Orthopedic clinic in Los Angeles to seek medical attention regarding the pain in his right shoulder.
An MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) confirmed a significant tear on his right shoulder rotator cuff that warrants surgery. Doctors are saying that it would take almost a year for Pacquiao to be completely healed.
As of now, there are so many questions that need to be answered by Arum and Team Pacquiao to appease a lot of boxing fans who apparently were disgusted about the performance of the “Fighting Pride of the Philippines.” I have seen on tapes most of Pacquiao’s previous fights. He is really a skilled and explosive boxer, capable of throwing a lot of combinations due to his hand speed.
Too bad, the real Pacquiao did not show up at the MGM Grand Casino last May 2. His win against the unbeaten American boxer would have given millions of Filipinos so much happiness and pride. Pacquiao probably has too much pride and confidence that he decided “the show must go on.”
What I can’t understand is why did Bob Arum and the rest of Team Pacquiao not cancel the fight knowing that Pacquiao was not 100 percent physically fit. Was it pride or the fear of losing the big pile of money in the event that the fight will be cancelled?
Funny, but despite all the controversy, there are reports coming out that there might be a sequel to another Mayweather-Pacquiao fight next year. I don’t know how the boxing world and fans will react to this news. I find this news laughable.