NEW YORK—Manny Pacquiao said on Monday that his surgically repaired shoulder is 80-percent to 90-percent healed and he expects to resume training in November or December, with a return to the ring in March.
Pacquiao acknowledged that Amir Khan was a possible opponent, but added no determination had been made.
Pacquiao had surgery on his right shoulder four days after he lost by unanimous decision to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in boxing’s richest fight ever in May. Mayweather says he’s retiring, though Pacquiao recognizes that in boxing, those vows don’t always hold up.
“If you ask me, of course, I want a rematch,” Pacquiao said. “I heard that he retired already. If he really retired, then there’s no rematch. But if not…”
Pacquiao injured his shoulder three weeks before the fight. He later said he aggravated it in the fourth round, when he landed some of his best punches of the night against Mayweather.
“He kept moving around and didn’t want to fight toe to toe with me, exchanging punches,” Pacquiao said on Monday.
Asked if he could change that in a rematch, Pacquiao said, “I think so, especially [after] I fixed my shoulder.”
Pacquiao was in Manhattan to be honored with the Asia Society’s Asia Game Changer of the Year award. He is running for the Philippines’s 24-seat Senate, a national position that has been used as a springboard for vice president or president.
Pacquiao, meanwhile, will lead Mahindra Enforcers Sports as playing-coach in the Philippine Basketball Cup 2016 at Al Wasl Club in Dubai on November 6 and 7.
The event organized by the Clique Events Co., the official overseas game organizer of the Philippine Basketball Association in the United Arab Emirates, will be held in collaboration with the Dubai Sports Council, and DU as the main presenter. Three top sides of the Philippine League—Mahindra Enforcers, Alaska Aces and Barangay Ginebra—are taking part in the extravaganza.
Pacquiao has 10 world titles and fought 65 world title and challenge bouts in his life, earning 57 of them. He is called the Boxer of the Century by the World Boxing Council and the American Boxing Association title, having attained unprecedented achievements in the field of boxing.
Pacquiao, who will be making his first visit to this part of the world, is the second highest-paid athlete in the world, according to Forbes magazine’s list for 2015, with an annual income of $160 million, which is larger than the combined income of two top football stars Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Pacquiao fame extends to the social and political scenes, as he was elected a member of the Philippine parliament in 2010 and was reelected in 2013.
“We are delighted to collaborate with du and Clique Events in organizing this event, which will provide a great opportunity for boxing and basketball lovers alike, and for Filipinos expats in Dubai in general, allowing them to enjoy the matches and watch Pacquiao in a different sport field,” said Nasser Aman Al Rahma, sports events director in Dubai Sports Council.
Image credits: AP
1 comment
Who would ever believe this liar again? Before the Mayweather fight, he said he is 100% ready and healthy but it was all for the hype. It good that he was sued by fans who felt hoodwinked. His lack of transparency only shows that he values tons and tons of money more than being righteous.What a hypocrite!