GOODBYE REMATCH | No boxing for Pacquiao for one year after shoulder injury
Manny Pacquiao will be out of the boxing ring for nine to twelve months after sustaining an injury in his right shoulder while training for his megafight against Floyd Mayweather Jr., which he lost via unanimous decision.
In an interview with ESPN’s Dan Rafael, orthopedic surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache of the Kerlan Jobe Orthopedic Clinic in Los Angeles said Pacquiao will have to go through a surgery later this week to repair a “significant tear” in his rotator cuff, as confirmed in a recent MRI scan.
Pacquiao revealed the injury shortly after his lopsided loss, where many observers noted his inability to sustain his attacks against Mayweather despite being able to force him on the ropes during the fourth and sixth rounds. According to the Filipino boxing icon, he sustained the injury two weeks ago and that it hampered his mobility throughout the fight.
(Credits: Manny Pacquiao’s Facebook page)
“Once you know he has a tear that’s not going to heal on its own, then the decision for an active person is you want to try to fix this before it gets bigger,” ElAttrache told ESPN.
“If all goes as expected with the surgery and the rehab is successful, Manny could be back training in about six months. At that point, he will be regaining strength and endurance, and competition is reasonable within nine months to a year. But this is a severe enough tear that it won’t heal without being repaired,” he added.
Meanwhile, Pacquiao’s camp reiterated its earlier statement that the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) stopped him from getting treatment for this injury several hours before the fight because it was not informed of the boxer’s condition ahead of time. The medication, approved by the United States Anti-Doping Agency, would have been the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug Toradol.
As quoted in a news report for The Guardian, NSAC chair Francisco Aguilar said Pacquiao may be subjected to sanctions by Nevada’s attorney general’s office for filling out a state form incorrectly. In the image below, it can be seen that Pacquiao answered “no” in response to a question if he is suffering from any injury in his shoulders, elbows, or hands. It is unclear though what the implication to the fight would have been had he answered “yes.”
This is the Pre – fight Medical questionaires obtained from NSAC. @ABSCBNNews pic.twitter.com/fvyQZLswBY
— Bev Llorente (@bevllorente) May 5, 2015
It can be recalled that Pacquiao was also barred from engaging in boxing for six months following his knockout loss to Juan Manuel Marquez last December 2012. He was instead instructed by the NSAC to undergo a series of brain examinations.
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