Manny Pacquiao will be undergoing surgery to repair his right shoulder, showing that the injury is considered a serious one and not merely an alibi for the Filipino's boxer's loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr. on May 2.
"Manny and [his wife] Jinkee decided that in the best interests of his long-term health, he will have the surgery here this week," said Michael Koncz, who serves as the manager of Pacquiao.
Pacquiao reportedly said that he was feeling pain in his shoulder after a sparring session on April 4. When he was examined a couple of days later, a tear was discovered below Pacquiao's right rotator cuff.
Pacquiao and his team decided to continue the fight after having the shoulder rest from training, with the belief that he would be allowed to take a shot to reduce the inflammation before the May 2 fight. However, the request was denied by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
After Pacquiao's loss to Mayweather on May 2, the boxer said that the injury worsened in the fight's fourth round. By Sunday, Pacquiao was not able to raise his right arm.
The surgery is expected to cause Pacquiao to be sidelined for the next four to six months, said Koncz, adding that a more complete assessment of Pacquiao's injury and his timeline for recovery will be made after the surgery is completed.
"It's part of the game," said Pacquiao of his injury.
"I don't want to make alibis or complain or anything ... [but] it's hard to fight one-handed," Pacquiao added.
Despite Pacquiao's injury, however, promoter Bob Arum said that he did not regret allowing Pacquiao to fight, even if the boxer was not at full strength.
"Athletes always fight hurt," said Arum, saying that injuries happen in every sport.
Mayweather shared a similar sentiment with Arum, who is his former promoter, revealing that his arms and hands were suffering from injuries at the time of the fight.
The report of Pacquiao's injury, however, adds fuel to the demands for a rematch between the two boxing icons.
The match was won by Mayweather through a unanimous decision, with scores of 118-110, 116-112, and 116-112. The pace of the fight was dictated by Mayweather, as Pacquiao was not able to throw and land as many punches as he wanted to.
According to Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach, while he was proud of his fighter's persistence through his injury, the inability of Pacquiao to throw his right hook severely limited his implementation of the game plan to deal Mayweather his first career loss.
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