Manny Pacquiao Needs Surgery On Rotator Cuff Tear

Following his unanimous decision loss to Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao disclosed that he fought Saturday’s monumental bout with a tear in his shoulder. “It’s part of the game,” Pacquiao said at the post-fight news conference. “I don’t want to make alibis or complain or anything, [but] it’s hard to fight one-handed.”

The former champion allegedly suffered the tear about two and half weeks earlier during his training camp, according to Top Rank fight promoter Bob Arum. And he was supposed to receive an anti-inflammatory shot in the shoulder on Saturday, but was denied it by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

The reason why he was denied was because Pacquaio did not properly disclose the injury, according to Francisco Aguilar, aka the chairman of NSAC. “The medications he was taking were disclosed on his medical questionnaire, but not the actual injury,” Aguilar said to the media. “This isn’t our first fight. This is our business. There is a process, and when you try to screw with the process, it’s not going to work for you.”

Yesterday, it was confirmed by ESPN that Pacquiao would indeed need surgery. “We have an MRI scan that confirms he has a rotator cuff tear. He has a significant tear,” said Dr. Neal ElAttrache, a famous L.A. doctor who has worked with the Los Angeles Lakers and Dodgers.

On top of this, Pacquiao would likely be out anywhere from “nine months to a year,” according to what the doctor told Pacquiao. But if everything goes as plan, he could be back to training within six months.

But what does this mean for a possible rematch? As most know, Mayweather wrote into the contract that if he wins, there will be no rematch. And while Floyd was clearly the better fighter, with his defensive style overpowering Pacquaio, the win will forever be tainted by this injury.