Holy God, what is going on? After what some might call the biggest letdown of the modern age, it seems MAYPAC will continue to draw attention for some time. So first, a little recap of what unfolded on fight night.
In typical Mayweather fashion, the fight was rather subdued and instead of the fast paced action thriller many thought the fight would be, it was instead a rather high-level tactical engagement. What was most surprising, was Manny’s rather lackluster energy levels. Everyone and their mother knew Manny was going to need to do something special against Floyd in order to win and even then it probably wasn’t going to be enough. However, watching Manny fight, something seemed to hold him back as if he just didn’t have the desire to win. Now, those of you who are inclined to say “Oh, that’s just how good Mayweather is; he takes the fight right out of guys,” I have to remind you that no matter how brilliant Floyd is on defense, this does not (or should not) influence a fighter’s total punch output (notice I said output not shots landed).
There was no Manny in and out action; there was only a handful of flurries, and Manny seemed satisfied with the pace of the action. At the end of the fight, both men barely seemed winded and very little damage was sustained on either one’s face. At the rate they were fighting, they probably could have gone another twelve rounds without too much trouble. All in all, the fight seemed like a glorified sparring session.
This is what disappointed me the most. Here we have a man, Manny Pacquiao, who promised his fans a show like no other, and, instead, we got someone who barely looked like he had any interest in winning. This was most apparent in the way he approached his corner after the end of each round. You see, if I was in the fight of my life, a fight that would define my career, I don’t think I would be smiling as I walked back to my corner after having just lost the round. To me, all I saw was a man who was just trying to get to the final bell, make some dough, and go on his merry way. But, perhaps there’s more to it, and, interestingly enough, it was later revealed Manny was fighting hurt.
Apparently, Manny Pacquiao walked into the ring fight night with a torn rotator cuff--an injury Manny sustained in training a few weeks earlier and come fight night was denied an anti-inflammatory injection to relieve him of his agony. Why was he denied this injection? Well, supposedly, the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) was never informed of the injury until just a few hours before the fight was scheduled to begin.
You see, Manny was required to answer a questionnaire about the state of his health and to disclose any medication he’s on and there was no indication from his responses that he was indeed injured. So out of fairness to the Mayweather camp, he was denied the shot and entered the ring with severe pain in his right shoulder.
Why didn’t he reveal his injury to NSAC? Well, according to Pacquiao’s camp, the U.S Anti-Dope Agency (USADA) informed them that there wouldn’t be an issue with the anti-inflammatory shot come fight night. So, believing that there wouldn’t be a problem, Pacquiao’s camp thought it best to keep the injury on the down-low in fear of having to postpone the fight or having the information to be leaked to Mayweather’s camp: information that could surely be used as part of their strategy.
What do I think? I think it partly explains Manny’s lack of fighting prowess on May 2nd, but I don’t believe it explains everything. Honestly, I still think Manny could have done more to showcase his desire to win. I’m not sure how an injured right shoulder would influence his ability to move around the ring unless father time is getting the better of him. It could also be that perhaps Manny is changing styles in his golden years, a not so uncommon practice among fighters. This is a bad time to become a counter puncher though, especially if you have hopes of defeating a man who has made an entire legacy out of being a quick-footed counter puncher.
But truth be told, I don’t believe Manny and his camp really want to beat Mayweather, but they certainly want another payday. This whole ordeal of the shoulder injury could just be a good bit of controversy to drive a rematch once Manny recovers from his shoulder surgery. Indeed, today, May 5th, Mayweather has let social media outlets know that he will allow the rematch in a year’s time.
So I have to ask, is this really about who’s the better boxer? Or is this just about making some money before both fighters disappear into retirement? Well, since I’m an optimist, I’m going to go with this: Manny was hurt and didn’t want to risk putting himself into a dangerous situation where he would be embarrassed like he was by Marquez in their fourth outing; so he fought a tactical fight, hoping to land a solid counter left and pursue with a winning flurry. This explains his lack of energy and with luck, Manny will be 100% in a year’s time for the rematch where he will hopefully look like the Manny of old. He’ll still lose of course, but it will be worth the $100 PPV.
I know, it’s a lot. But, hey, I guy can dream can’t he?