Manny Pacquiao is in hot water after failing to disclose a shoulder injury before his defeat to Floyd Mayweather, which throws any potential re-match into serious doubt.
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It is feared the 36-year-old could spend up to a year on the sidelines as he prepares to undergo surgery on his torn rotator cuff, an injury he sustained in the lead-up to the “Fight of the Century”.
But Pacquiao now also faces a potential lawsuit as he answered ‘no’ to the question about whether he had suffered any shoulder injuries in the pre-fight medical questionnaire.
By signing the document, both Pacquiao and his adviser Michael Koncz swore under penalty of perjury, that the information was true and correct.
THIS JUST IN: Floyd Mayweather says in a text to @stephenasmith that he would give Manny Pacquiao a rematch. pic.twitter.com/uwKT33AnQd
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It emerged after the defeat to Mayweather that the Filipino star had been hampered by the problem and having failed to make this known he now faces prosecution.
In a copy of the document it shows that Pacquiao was taking several painkillers but under chapter 199 of the law of Nevada (NRS), “A person, who, in a declaration made under penalty of perjury, makes a wilful and false statement in a matter material to the issue or point in question is guilty of perjury or subornation of perjury, as the case may be, which is a category D felony and shall be punished”.
The punishment for a crime of this nature is between one and four years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000 (Dh18,000). And on top of that, the Nevada State Athletic Commission could also fine and ban Pacquiao.
The commission is set to investigate why the injury was not divulged but Koncz told the New York Times: “Number one, Manny didn’t check the box. I checked it. It was just an inadvertent mistake. If I was trying to hide anything, would I have listed all the medications on the sheet that he intended to use? We weren’t trying to hide anything. I just don’t think I read the questionnaire correctly.
“I’m going to take full responsibility for what happened. The wrong box was checked. But I think part of the responsibility also lies with the commission. Wouldn’t you ask a question about all these medications (on the questionnaire)?”
Pacquiao’s physician, Dr Neal El-Attrache told ESPN.com: “Once you know he has a tear that’s not going to heal on its own, then the decision for an active person is you want to try to fix this before it gets bigger.
“If all goes as expected with the surgery and the rehab is successful, Manny could be back training in about six months.”
