National Football League

Pacquiao had injured shoulder, considered postponing fight

Published May. 3, 2015 1:24 p.m. ET

foxsports

By NESN Staff

Manny Pacquiao failed to land enough meaningful blows against Floyd Mayweather on Saturday night, and there might have been a reason why.

After the fight at MGM Grand in Las Vegas, which Mayweather won by unanimous decision, there was talk of Pacquiao suffering a shoulder injury before the bout. The Filipino boxer and trainer Freddie Roach confirmed to reporters afterward that Pacquiao did indeed injure his right shoulder in a sparring match just a few weeks before the fight.

Pacquiao got an MRI on the shoulder after he injured it, CBSSports.com reported, and it revealed a tear, which might require surgery. It was bad enough that Pacquiao considered postponing the fight.

“We felt the (rehabilitative) work that was done on the shoulder during training would give him the opportunity to use the right hand,” promoter Bob Arum said, per Yahoo! Sports. “We were disappointed when in the third round the injury kicked up again, but this is always the case in sport. … He heals the injury, thinks he’s conquered it and it flares up again.”

Pacquaio had been receiving United States Anti-Doping Agency-approved shots - they consisted of two local anesthetics and a corticosteroid - while he trained, but according to Yahoo! Sports, the Nevada Athletic Commission denied him permission to receive one before the fight because he had indicated that he was healthy.

Of course, Mayweather had something to say about his opponent’s injury, making quite a claim about his own health. According to ESPN's Dan Rafael, Floyd said both of his hands and shoulders were injured "but I always find a way to win."

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