BOB ARUM: MANNY PACQUIAO WAS 100% GOING IN TO THAT FIGHT
Bob Arum, the promoter of Phillipino superstar Manny Pacquiao went in to the 'Fight of the century' 100% healthy, despite the claims coming from the fighter himself saying he was carrying an injury to the right shoulder. Pacquiao insists he has been carrying the injury since April where he says he damaged his rotator cuff.
Arum the CEO of Top Rank Promotions that Pacquiao has had the injury since his 2008 mega fight, when he fought the 'Golden Boy', Oscar De La Hoya. Arum says the injury had been reoccuring since then and it flared back up in his camp for the Floyd Mayweather fight.
"By two weeks before the fight, the injury had cleared up and he was again using his right hand and he went in 100% for that fight. He reinjured the shoulder at the end of the fourth round and wasn't effective with the right hand after that. He's had the same torn rotator cuf since 2008." Said Arum.
It sure do look suspicious though as the Pacquiao camp seem to be contradicting what their saying as the amount of legal cases aginst them stack up, now reaching over 30. It looks like sour grapes from Manny after he innitially said he thought he won the fight. He shocked a lot of people when he said that. Mayweather clearly outboxed Manny and controlled the fight to win a comfortable unanimous decision.
It was then after this that Manny revealed he had injured his shoulder coming in to the fight, leaving fans furious that they paid hard earned money to watch a mismatch that has been put down to injury by the fighter. Many fighters have come out since and expressed that they believe Manny is making excuses as he looks for the lucrative rematch.
It is my opinion that Manny may have hurt it a little going in to the fight and of course during the fight the injury became much worse. From his perspective he'd worked his whole life for that fight. He'd shed blood, sweat and tears in gym's over the years. This is a man who slept on the street as a child where he would sell bread to survive. He left home to pursue his dream of being a fighter, to have a better life. Pacquiao lied about his age when he turned pro at 15, fighting for around a $1 that he would send back to his mother.
The fight with Mayweather took 6 or 7 years to make. It was finally here for him. The chance to make more money than he could ever have dreamed. To set his family up for generations. If he pulled out of the fight he may never get the oppertunity again. He is an ageing fighter. I believe anyone in Pacquiao's position would fight through a small injury to give himself, and family a better life. I do feel Manny should be mor gracious to the man who beat him and proved himself as the best of his generation. Pacquiao, a man whi stands for so much. A hero, a national god, a family man and one of the greatest fighters in history, Pacman has given the the impression to fans that he is a 'sore loser'.
