It’s going to be a while before Manny Pacquiao gets in the ring with anyone, be it Floyd Mayweather or someone else. The shoulder injury he talked about after the fight with Mayweather? Turns out it’s going to need surgery, and then a lot of time away from the ring.
After the loss to Mayweather by a unanimous decision, Bob Arum said Pacquiao fought with an injured shoulder, which explained why he was a lot less aggressive than he usually is. He had suffered the injury three weeks before the fight but decided not to pull out. However, the tear in his shoulder is too significant to let it heal on its own.
Pacquiao managed to fight with that kind of injury, at least according to his orthopedic surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache, because he moderated his punching count, keeping it low and moderate instead of going gung-ho and all out on Mayweather, which probably would have been the course of action had he been healthy for the fight.
Both Arum and trainer Freddie Roach thought about postponing the fight, but Pacquiao was responding to treatment and looked better in the days leading up to the fight. He asked to receive an anti-inflammatory shot in his shoulder in his dressing room before the fight, but the Nevada State Athletic Commission officials refused the request, claiming it was Pacquiao’s fault for not disclosing his injury sooner.
According to Arum, Top Rank had filed paperwork requesting that Pacquiao be allowed to receive an anti-inflammatory shot because he had similar treatment during training. The shots were approved by he U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, doing the random testing on both Pacquiao and Mayweather in the time leading up to the fight, as per the contract.
Francisco Aguilar, the chairman of the NSAC, countered Arum’s claims, suggesting that the commission was not told about the injury until a few hours before the fight. Mayweather, upon hearing that Pacquiao and his camp said he fought with an injury, said that he had injuries in both his shoulders and arms, fearing someone might take away some respect from his win.
But no one said anything about Mayweather. This was about Pacquiao and his injury. Mayweather was the better fighter on the night, and there’s nothing that can change that. Athletes play and fight injured all the time. Maybe something in the process leading up to the fight on account of Pacquiao’s team was wrong and he could have gotten an injection to help him with the pain. Maybe the Nevada commission tried making things hard for him, as Mayweather is so important to the city and state, but it doesn’t matter now.
Pacquiao lost, will have a surgery on his injured shoulder and will be out for at least nine months or maybe more before he can get into the ring again. Forget about a rematch. Mayweather won’t wait for that long, and he shouldn’t be. Now, instead of thinking about who Pacquiao’s next opponent will be, it’s time to wonder if he’ll actually retire considering his age and the long rehab process he’ll have to be going through.