HOLLYWOOD—The message sounded like magic to Manny Pacquiao’s ears: Floyd Mayweather Jr. is willing to give him a second chance in the ring.
Still reeling from the loss he suffered to Mayweather and the injury he sustained on Saturday night, Pacquiao’s eyes sparkled when informed of the flamboyant American’s announcement.
“I will fight him in a year after his surgery,” Mayweather texted ESPN’s Stephen Smith.
READ: Mayweather open to rematch with Pacquiao next year–report
“Rematch? Yes, we’re ready to fight,” Pacquiao told sportswriters and photographers in Filipino at the garage of his home on North Plymouth Boulevard. “For now, however, my injury has to heal first.
Surgery on Sunday
Pacquiao, who’s scheduled for surgery at a Los Angeles hospital on Sunday, said his right shoulder rotator cuff muscle got a “significant tear” and it needed to be sewn up to heal.
“It will take from four to six months to return to normal,” added Pacquiao.
READ: Surgery for Pacquiao cancels November fight
After the procedure, Pacquiao will have to take five to six weeks rest without strenuous activities.
As to his rehabilitation program, Pacquiao revealed that a doctor will go to the Philippines monthly to check on his progress.
Manny Pacquiao explains his shoulder injury to the media during an interview inside his home in Hollywood, CA on Tuesday, 5 May 2015. PHOTO BY REM ZAMORA/INQUIRER/See more at FRAME
Pacquiao said the injury was actually an old one. He sustained it in 2009 when a big wave struck the jetski he was driving, sending him flying into the air for a bad fall.
It recurred when Pacquiao’s arm and that of his sparring partner got entangled after an exchange of punches.
The incident was confirmed by Dashon Johnson, one of his former sparring partners, in a Facebook post.
READ: Sparmate confirms Pacquiao injured shoulder in training
Two days later, Pacquiao was examined and the MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) detected the tear. Pacquiao did not spar for a week and used his injured shoulder sparingly to allow it to recover.
Eventually, Pacquiao felt confident to use it in sparring and mitts sessions. Just to make sure, however, they sought the permission of the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) to inject Toradol, an anti-inflammatory drug, three hours prior to the 12-round bout. It was turned down.
Despite the rejection, Pacquiao went on the offensive, pouring it all in the fourth round until his right caught Mayweather near the neck. Right after the collision, pain shot through Pacquiao’s arm and he was never the same again.
“I could endure the pain, but the power was no longer there,” said Pacquiao.
Now, Pacquiao and his team are under scrutiny for failing to formally disclose the injury to the NSAC, having indicated that he had no injury in the medical questionnaire.
Pacquiao’s adviser, Michael Koncz, admitted that he—not the fighter—filled out the form and made the mistake in the answer box.
Unexpected
The rematch offer of Mayweather was unexpected, as the world’s highest earning athlete had stated during the postfight news conference that he’d be done with boxing after one more bout in September.
Though he hasn’t reviewed the tape of the fight as his staff left it in his suite in Delano Hotel, Pacquiao gave credit to Mayweather, stating that the American deserved the victory and was one of the best fighters he had faced in the ring.
For now, however, Pacquiao isn’t ready yet to concede Mayweather is The Best Ever.
Originally posted as of 5:58 PM | Wednesday, May 6, 2015