Manny Pacquiao
Filipino death row inmate Mary Jane Veloso (L) sits with boxer Filipino Manny Pacquiao (C) and his wife Jinkee Pacquiao (R) during their visit to Wirogunan Prison, Yogyakarta, Indonesia July 10, 2015. Veloso was given a last-minute reprieve from execution for drug trafficking in April. REUTERS/Ignatius Eswe

Boxing champ Manny Pacquiao played down criticisms of Top Rank promotions boss Bob Arum after the Filipino icon cancelled a doctor’s checkup for his injured right shoulder. Arum said Pacquiao has not been acting very professionally after dismissing his appointment with a doctor and instead flew to Indonesia to visit a fellow Filipino on death row. The 36-year-old Pacquiao sustained a torn rotator cuff during his loss against Mayweather on May.

The Filipino fighter was not concerned about Arum’s criticisms saying that he respects the boxing promoter who was only “voicing out his concern.” The former eight-division boxing champ did not take Arum’s comments negatively adding that there is nothing to worry about his injured right shoulder. He convincingly added that he is doing a self-rehab and is “recovering faster than expected” as reported by Bleacher Report.

“I believe he's just voicing out his concern (for) me and I appreciate it,” Pacquiao said. “I'm doing the rehab myself.”

Arum blasted Pacquiao last weekend for cancelling a scheduled July 4 checkup with his surgeon in Los Angeles. The 83-year-old Aruma accepted that Pacquiao can make his own decisions as a grown man, but cited his concerns that the Filipino boxer is “not an active fighter.” The head of Top Rank promotions insisted that Pacquiao’s first priority should have been his meeting with the doctor to decide on his recovery programme as noted by Supersport.com.

"When you have an operation like that you’ve got to get into rehab. You’ve got to get the doctor to look at it and to guide you as to the kind of rehab that you’ve got to do,” Arum added.

Pacquiao flew to Indonesia to film a television advertisement and visit Mary Jane Veloso, who was sentenced to death after being arrested in 2009 with 2.6 kilogramme of heroin stitched into the lining of her suitcase. Pacquiao said that he was hoping to “help save” the Filipino’s life.

For comments about the story, email the writer at kit.bernal1013@gmail.com

RELATED STORIES