Mannix: Pacquiao ‘Defrauded Everyone’ By Not Disclosing Shoulder Injury

[Rock Strongo]

Mannix: Pacquiao ‘Defrauded Everyone’ By Not Disclosing Shoulder Injury
Toucher and RichMay 6, 2015 10:04 AM
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(Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)



BOSTON (CBS) — Manny Pacquiao not only lost to Floyd Mayweather over the weekend, but now he’s likely going to be hit another blow from his title bout loss.

Pacquiao is now facing perjury charges after not disclosing a shoulder injury ahead of the fight.

Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix was in Las Vegas to cover the big bout, and said it’s pretty clear that Pacquiao committed perjury.

“There is no real way around it,” Mannix told 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Toucher & Rich on Wednesday. “They said he had a partial tear in his shoulder, and they said he healed enough. But he was trying to take Toradol, a pain-killer, [before the fight] and if you’re experiencing pain that means there’s something wrong in your shoulder. But he checked the box that said, ‘I do not have a shoulder injury,’ and he signed his name to it.

“He signed it right above a sentence that says, ‘I sign this under the penalty of perjury,’ so I don’t see how there’s any way around that he committed perjury,” said Mannix. “To me, this was fraud, frankly. Think about the money that was paid for this type of event. To go through this event with a one-handed fighter, there’s something inherently wrong with that and maybe something legally wrong with that.

“He had an injury, he didn’t disclose it, and in my mind, he defrauded everyone who put money up there to do it.”

So what will be done about it? Fans have already filed a class-action lawsuit against Pacquiao and his team for fraud, seeking more than $5 million for concealing the injury. Things aren’t always on the level out in Vegas, but Mannix said they will be looking into this very closely.

“The Nevada commission has been very vocal about getting this rectified, recommending the Attorney General in Nevada look into it. I get where they’re coming from, but to me the Nevada commission is ridiculous,” said Mannix. “They’ve allowed Mayweather do whatever he wants and licensed him to do anything he wants at any time. At this point, Mayweather would have to detonate a tactical nuke in the MGM Grand food court for them to take his license away. They’re a little phony there.

“But I do think you’ll see a lot of litigation in the next couple of months as people who are outraged that they paid this much for this event try to get their money back,” he said.

 

[Rock Strongo]

discuss

 

[Indrid Cold]

Floyd might launch a tactical nuke at his ex-GF for suing him...then he'd tell ESPN that he only did it cuz she was on drugs! "I had to destroy her to save her..."

 

[Gooch1034]

Pacs way around it may be that they thought it had healed up and he reinjured it in the 4th round.

 

[johnson]

I'm disappointed in Pac, but can you imagine the uproar if he'd canceled the fight on the night of the event or even shortly before it? It'd be 50 times worse than this.

Ironically, while FM is all about the $, it appears Pac made the biggest decision based on $ of the fight. You know he's not fighting that day if this is against Algieri or someone else for 1/8th the payday. He wasn't going to leave $40 mil for another day if he felt he could suck it up and perform at some level.

I do think Pac should be fined by the commission. Criminal charges seem excessive and counter-productive. Being sued by the fans seems far more productive. There should be a settlement where everyone gets $25 back and it comes out of Bob Arum and the rest of Pac's handlers pockets.

 

[KnightAndDay]

You really can't hold this against Pacquiao.

Imagine the outcry if he went public about it or if he tried to cancel/postpone the fight. The cover-up is usually worse than the crime but I don't that's the case here.

 

[Lakers+USC=#1]

Pacs way around it may be that they thought it had healed up and he reinjured it in the 4th round.

From all the misses.

 

[HammerDown]

Not surprising.

 

[johnson]

I'm a Pac fan, but I really don't care. After fighting injured and wasting everyone's time and $, I won't spend another dime or second on him. And knowing Arum, his next fight will be some ridiculous booking decision like fighting Marquez for the 8th time.

 

[fredmccallyRTR]

I paid for the ppv. I don't feel defrauded. In any other sport it would be considered heroic to fight hurt, whether fans knew or not.

 

[OutlawImmortal]

I'm disappointed in Pac, but can you imagine the uproar if he'd canceled the fight on the night of the event or even shortly before it? It'd be 50 times worse than this.

Ironically, while FM is all about the $, it appears Pac made the biggest decision based on $ of the fight. You know he's not fighting that day if this is against Algieri or someone else for 1/8th the payday. He wasn't going to leave $40 mil for another day if he felt he could suck it up and perform at some level.

I do think Pac should be fined by the commission. Criminal charges seem excessive and counter-productive. Being sued by the fans seems far more productive. There should be a settlement where everyone gets $25 back and it comes out of Bob Arum and the rest of Pac's handlers pockets.

You say that as if Pac was guaranteed a rematch with Mayweather. Mayweather would have merely said he was scared and not given him a second chance, Pacquiao had no choice but to go along with the fight.