LOS ANGELES – Manny Pacquiao insisted he didn’t deceive boxing fans when he climbed the ring against Floyd Mayweather with a shoulder injury for their welterweight unification title match on Saturday (Sunday, Manila time).
The Filipino ring great said he was more than ready to face his unbeaten American foe and was confident of getting a shot to ease the pain in his right shoulder which he injured while training for the celebrated 12-round match.
“Ready naman talaga ako. Ang iniisip ko talaga ay mapapayagan ako ng commission (Nevada Athletic Commission) na mabigyan ng injection (para sa injury ko),” said Pacquiao.
The Filipino boxer is under threat of a fine and suspension from the Nevada commission after revealing following the loss that he was nursing a shoulder injury which his camp had concealed in the run-up to the fight.
Read: Pacquiao faces fine, suspension for failing to formally disclose shoulder injury before fight
Fight fans and commentators also felt shortchanged to watch the two best fighters in the world today go at each other, either live at the MGM Grand or through pay-per-view, with one of them apparently not 100 percent fit.
Tickets for the bout ranged from the cheapest at US$1,500 to $10,000 for the most expensive seat in the arena - and sold much higher in the secondary market - while pay-per-view cost reached $99.
Pacquiao lost the fight by unanimous decision, 118-110, 116-112, 116-112, and admitted during the post-fight press conference that he aggravated his injured right shoulder while pounding away at Mayweather in the third and fourth rounds of the bout.
The 36-year-old Filipino boxing great said the injury was suffered during a sparring last April 4 at the Wild Card gym. Following an MRI test, it was discovered there was tear in his rotator cuff, prompting his camp to administer anti-inflammatory to ease the pain.
READ FULL STORY ON SPIN.PH: Pacquiao says he had no intention to deceive fans in concealing shoulder injury