By Chris Williams: Floyd Mayweather Jr. wasn’t surprised to hear that Manny Pacquiao’s people were saying that the 36-year-old Filipino star was hurt last Saturday before the fight, because he thinks they’re trying to get a rematch with him.
Mayweather doesn’t doubt that Pacquiao had an injured shoulder, but he thinks that they’re talking about the injury so much now because they want a second crack at him after things didn’t go so well.
Pacquiao couldn’t much at all against Mayweather because all of the things that Pacquiao likes to do in the ring were nullified by Mayweather. Injury or no injury, Pacquiao was totally dominated by Mayweather over the 12 round bout.
Mayweather thinks that Pacquiao won maybe three rounds in the entire fight, which means that Mayweather agrees with one of the judges who scored the fight 118-110.
“Of course they’re going to say Pacquiao was hurt, which he could have been hurt,” Mayweather said via Fighthype. I’m not saying he wasn’t hurt or he’s not hurt, but, you know, I had two hurt shoulders and two hurt hands and I still went out there and tried my best. They basically stressing a rematch.”
I think Pacquiao’s team definitely wants a rematch with Mayweather, but I also think one of the reasons why brought up the injury after the fight was so that Pacquiao could save face with his loyal boxing fans. If he had just come out and admitted that he was beaten by the better man, it might have cost Pacquiao fans. But by Pacquiao and his team bringing up his injury and saying that he thinks he should have won, it helps Pacquiao keep his fans.
If you notice that Juan Manuel Marquez’s win over Pacquiao in 2012 was discredited by some people saying it was a lucky punch, or that Marquez was stepping on one of Pacquiao’s feet when he knocked him down. It’s a variety of things. I think it’s the same thing with Mayweather. His win is now being discredited by Pacquiao and his team talking about him having a shoulder injury before the fight. Freddie Roach, Pacquiao’s trainer, said that Mayweather ran from Pacquiao in the fight when that clearly wasn’t the case.
If Mayweather gives Pacquiao a rematch next year and whips him again, I won’t be surprised if Pacquiao or his team comes up with a new reason to explain the loss. I just hope it’s a different one from the injured shoulder excuse because that would be really boring if they use that one again.
Comments are closed.