Did Injury Debacle Taint the Result of Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao?
Floyd Mayweather Jr. defeated Manny Pacquiao Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, but was the victory, arguably the most important win of Mayweather’s career, tainted by injury?
According to Yahoo Sports' Kevin Iole, Pacquiao’s camp claimed afterward that a pre-fight injury kept the Filipino fighter from performing at his very best in what might have been the biggest and most lucrative prizefight in boxing history:
"Manny Pacquiao threw fewer punches than Floyd Mayweather, 435-429, which few observers could have predicted.
But Pacquiao's camp is claiming he had a right shoulder injury that he suffered three to four weeks before the fight. He had taken anti-inflammatory shots that were approved by the United States Anti-Doping Agency during camp. He requested to take a shot after arriving in his locker room shortly after 6 p.m. PT, but was denied by the Nevada Athletic Commission.
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The same report says the drugs Pacquiao wanted to inject before the bout, Bupivacaine, Celestone and Lidocaine, are not considered performance-enhancing drugs. However, because Pacquiao—who is not a native English speaker—or his team checked off that he was not suffering from any injuries on a pre-fight medical form, the Nevada commission denied him the shot before the bout.
Did the situation ruin the fight? That depends on your point of view. But if you were rooting for the result to present a clear answer to who's the best fighter of the generation, your team lost.
If you were in Mayweather's corner, it would be easy to dismiss Pacquiao’s post-fight claims as sour grapes. After all, if Pacquiao truly required the injection to perform his very best in the fight, why was it only mentioned after the fact?
Wouldn’t Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach, have been better served by getting the word out about the injury and lack of necessary pre-fight injection to the press as the fight was set to start rather than taking a selfie with his fighter on the way to the ring?
More importantly, why is there mention of it at all if Pacquiao truly believes he won the fight?
That’s right. Despite throwing and landing fewer punches than the careful puncher, Mayweather, Pacquiao told HBO’s Max Kellerman after the fight that he thought he won the contest.
“I thought I won the fight,” said Pacquiao. “He didn't do nothing.”
But Mayweather did something to Pacquiao to keep the hard-hitting southpaw from advancing toward him for most of the 12 rounds on Saturday. The match started with two quick thumps from Mayweather’s vaunted right hand, and that seemed to set the tone for the rest of the night.
Mayweather’s footwork and defense did the rest, and he cruised to a unanimous decision, just as his supporters suggested would happen all along.
But if you are a Pacquiao fan, you also have a case for argument. The fighter in the ring against Mayweather on Saturday was not the one you are accustomed to seeing ply his trade.
Pacquiao’s punch output was abysmal. He looked slower and weaker than typical Pacquiao, and even then, he managed to land several flush shots on Mayweather over the course of the fight.
But something was missing in Pacquiao. Where in past fights he was undeterred in his advance no matter what kinds of punches were flying back at him, he seemed different in this fight.
Pacquiao was downright tentative.
According to a report by Greg Beacham of The Associated Press, via ABC News, Pacquiao felt limited by the injury, especially in regard to the styles of punches he could throw.
"It's part of the game," Pacquiao said. "I don't want to make alibis or complain or anything...(but) it's hard to fight one-handed.”
The report indicates Roach was particularly disenchanted with Pacquiao’s inability to throw a right hook.
Regardless, the fight is over now. After five long years of waiting to see Mayweather and Pacquiao in the ring together, at last, it finally happened. And there's no going back.
If Pacquiao came into the fight injured, that’s on him. The result of the bout was a Mayweather win, one that solidified his claim to being the very best fighter of his era.
Injured or not, Pacquiao’s performance will forever be looked upon as subpar.
But was it that way because Mayweather was just too good? Or was it injury that kept Pacquiao from fighting at his best? Could it have been some combination of both?
The questions surrounding the fight will eternally taint the event, the degree to which will depend largely on which fighter you support.
So bad news, boxing fans: After five long years of Mayweather vs. Pacquiao debate, it appears the motif will continue forever after.
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