Boxing News: Manny Pacquiao Faces Possible Sanctions From NSAC For Failure To Declare Shoulder Injury In Fight Against Floyd Mayweather Jr.
After reports that Manny Pacquiao fought injured in the fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr., the Nevada State Athletic Commission, or NSAC is mulling to levy a fine or suspension against the Filipino pugilist for failing to inquire the state’s official sanctioning body about his right shoulder injury during last Saturday’s bout held at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Multiple reports on Monday confirmed Pacquiao’s injury to his right shoulder, a fact he mentioned during Saturday’s post-match press conference. Pacquiao is set to undergo a shoulder injury later in the week “to repair a significant tear in his rotator cuff”, as per an ESPN report.
Worse for the Filipino, aside from going under the knife for his shoulder injury, Pacquiao will also go under the scrutiny of the Nevada commission officials for not properly filling out a form given before the fight against Mayweather Jr.
"We will gather all the facts and follow the circumstances," NSAC chairman Francisco Aguilar said to Fox Sports. "At some point we will have some discussion. As a licensee of the commission you want to make sure fighters are giving you up-to-date information."
Pacquiao submitted a “No” answer in the questionnaire given by the NSCA pre-fight to a question, “Have you had any injury to your shoulders, elbows, or hands that needed evaluation or examination?” For answering the question inaccurately, Pacquiao now faces a possible sanction from the licensing body.
In related news, Pacquiao’s adviser Michael Koncz has taken full responsibility for the error—a costly one as it denied the Filipino the medication for the injured shoulder an hour before the fight against Mayweather Jr.
“Number one, Manny didn’t check the box,” Koncz told the New York Daily News. “I checked it. It was just an inadvertent mistake. If I was trying to hide anything, would I have listed all the medications on the sheet that he intended to use? We weren’t trying to hide anything. I just don’t think I read the questionnaire correctly.”
The Filipino boxing icon and/or his camp has been widely criticised for not sharing to the public his injury before the fight. Pacquiao’s advisors are being criticised as well on why they allowed the Filipino to fight injured against Mayweather Jr.
The bout itself, the supposed “Fight of the Century”, did not escape criticism as well as it turned out to be a dud. Mayweather Jr. defeated Pacquiao via a 12-round unanimous decision with judges’ scores of 118-110, 116-112 and 116-112.
Initial reactions from social media and various articles blamed Mayweather Jr.’s fight style of being a defensive fighter as the primary culprit of the boring and unexciting match. However, with the new reports of the Pacquiao’s shoulder injury and Pacquiao’s camp failure to notify the commission of the said injury, it now appears that both fighters, Mayweather Jr. and Pacquiao, are responsible for turning the “Fight of the Century” to one of the most forgettable matches in recent memory.
To contact author of this article, email j.quizon@IBTimes.com.au.
