Battered Manny Pacquiao narrowly loses fight of the century to Floyd Mayweather
Battered Manny Pacquiao narrowly loses fight of the century to Floyd Mayweather
A crestfallen Manny Pacquiao has told the world’s media he lost the fight of the century to Floyd Mayweather because a shoulder injury left him unable to use his right hand.
It is estimated a worldwide audience of 400million – including thousands of people in Pacquiao’s hometown – tuned in to watch American Mayweather earn victory with a unanimous points decision in front of a star-studded crowd in Las Vegas.
Mayweather stands to pocket upwards of $180million from the super fight, while Pacquiao will take home around $120million.
After a build-up of almost five years, the pair took to the ring at the MGM Grand on Saturday night and battled through a closely-fought 12 rounds, with little separating them.
But it was the American who came out on top at the end of the multi-million dollar spectacle – retaining his undefeated record in front of a host of celebrities including Jay Z, Beyonce, Bradley Cooper, Mark Wahlberg and Donald Trump.
The beaten Filipino, 36, has since blamed his defeat on a shoulder injury and said he wanted to have an injection before the fight but the Nevada Athletic Commission refused.
He said: ‘Three weeks before the fight I got a tear in my right shoulder. It got better but it wasn’t 100 per cent.’
Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum claimed he informed the Commission of the injury five days ago and defended the decision not to cancel the fight, the most lucrative in boxing history.
He said: ‘Athletes always fight hurt and we felt the work that was done on the shoulder during training would enable him to use his right hand.’
Mayweather hit back at the claims, saying he too was carrying injuries to both arms and hands.
He said: ‘If he had come out victorious, I would have shown respect and said he was the better man.’
Millions of viewers across the United States tuned in for what was expected to be one of the biggest sporting events in history, but some were left frustrated as pay-per-view services crashed just hours before they stepped into the ring because of surging demand.
The 38-year-old favorite conquered the Filipino in front of thousands of boxing fans and celebrities who had flown into Sin City from around the world just to be ringside for the historic bout.
Justin Bieber, who hosted a lavish pre-party in the Hard Rock Hotel earlier on Saturday, was at the forefront of the action, leading Mayweather and his entourage into the packed arena after embracing the boxer during his pre-fight ritual.
Mayweather made a surprisingly strong start, then withstood some aggressive counter-punching by the Filipino southpaw in the later rounds as he improved his career record to 48-0.
