Manny Pacquiao blamed a shoulder injury
for his defeat by Floyd Mayweather in Las
Vegas, claiming it had stopped him from
using his right hand.
American Mayweather, 38, outclassed his
Philippine rival at the MGM Grand and was
awarded a wide unanimous decision.
Pacquiao, 36, said he thought he did
enough to win the fight, despite most
observers agreeing with the verdict.
"Three weeks before the fight I got a tear in
my right shoulder," he said. "It got better
but it wasn't 100%."
Pacquiao said he wanted to have an
injection in the shoulder before the fight but
the Nevada Athletic Commission refused.
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.
"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," said Arum.
Commission chairman Francisco Aguilar said
he first knew about the injury two hours
before the fight, when Pacquiao's camp
requested a doctor sit in his corner, a
request that was denied.
Mayweather, meanwhile, said he was
carrying injuries to both arms and hands.
"If he had come out victorious, I would have
shown respect and said he was the better
man," he said, after adding Pacquiao's WBO
welterweight belt to the WBC and WBA titles
he already owned.
Mayweather, a five-weight world champion,
also criticised those who doubted him,
telling them he had made them "eat their
words".
"For years everyone said that I was scared
and that I'd lose," said Mayweather, who is
undefeated in 48 professional fights
stretching back 19 years.
"I made the non-believers into believers. I
was the better man, the smarter fighter -
more calculated, more patient. He was
applying pressure but not landing many
punches and I was just keeping my jab in
his face."