Pacquiao Blames Shoulder Injury After Defeat

Manny Pacquiao has revealed he considered postponing his much-anticipated clash with Floyd Mayweather Jr because of a shoulder injury.

The Filipino suffered a tear in the joint during sparring three weeks ago and said he was refused permission for a pain-killing injection by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

Mayweather won the welterweight world title face-off in Las Vegas on points after a unanimous decision by judges.

Speaking at his post-fight press conference, Pacquiao revealed he re-injured his shoulder early in the fight at the MGM Grand and was unable to throw punches with his right hand.

The 36-year-old said: "We were planning to postpone because for two weeks I didn't train well. We couldn't do what we wanted to because of my shoulder.

"From the third round I felt the pain in my shoulder. When I threw a lot of punches it hurt, so I backed off.

"I wanted to be more aggressive but I could only use my left hand. It's difficult to fight with one hand. Even though I hurt my shoulder, I didn't complain in the ring. It's part of the game.

"We planned to file with the commission a request for a shot to numb my shoulder, but they did not allow that so we didn't get a shot. We respect that."

Mayweather, 38, said his opponent should not have revealed his injury.

He said: "I had injuries also going into this fight and if he had come out victorious, I would have shown respect and said he was the better man.

"Both my arms and hands were injured, but I always find a way to win."

Pacquiao's promoter Bob Arum defended the decision to stage the $332m (£219m) if the Filipino's fitness was in doubt.

He said: "Athletes always fight hurt. We felt that the work that was done on the shoulder in training would give him the opportunity to use the right hand.

"We were disappointed when it kicked up again in the third round, but this is always the case in sport."

Pacquiao chased Mayweather around the ring for much of the fight, but struggled to land a sustained volume of punches.

Two ringside judges scored the bout 116-112, while another put it at 118-110. Mayweather landed 148 punches of 435, while Pacquiao landed 81 of 429, according to ringside statistics.

It was billed as the "Fight of the Century", but there were no knockdowns and both fought cautiously.

Mayweather has said he will retire after a bout in September against a yet-to-be determined opponent. He said: "I'll do that and I will hang it up."

The American is undefeated in 48 matches.

Thousands of people packed into the MGM Grand Arena for the long-awaited clash, rubbing shoulders with stars including Beyonce, Ben Affleck and Justin Bieber.

Fans had been hoping to see the boxers in the ring since Pacquiao established himself as a legitimate welterweight power in 2009 by stopping Miguel Cotto.