The talks for the most important ring battle of the century’s first quarter did not occur in somber board rooms. Instead, we should thank the restaurant Craig’s and its waiter, Gabriel Salvador, for doing the honors. Though late by roughly half a decade, Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao’s bout eventually materialized on 2nd May 2015 due to Salvador’s initiative as he dropped a hint to Showtime boss Les Moonves. Now a thing of the past, the drumbeats of the highest-grossing fight in boxing’s history are still audible. Manny Pacquiao still reminiscences on the battle and its discord.

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The fight that stood first on every boxing enthusiast’s watch list went down like a lead balloon. Of course, Floyd Mayweather was expected to be at his defensive best. However, a somewhat toned-down Pacquiao surprised most of the audience and viewers. Match stats reveal that only nineteen jabs from the Filipino legend could find a connection to the American. Later, Manny’s underperformance was primarily attributed to a shoulder injury.

How much of an impact did Manny Pacquiao’s shoulder injury had during Floyd Mayweather fight?

The talks for a fight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao commenced somewhere in 2009. But, one or the other, misunderstandings and disputes stalled the bout from entering the realm of the real world. By 2014, talks between Pacquiao’s coach Freddie Roach and Les Moonves cemented a deal.

The Fight of the Century, or Battle for Greatness, ended with Mayweather’s unanimous win. More than 4.6 million Pay-Per-Views were sold for the fight internationally. Pacquiao earned more than $80 million, while Mayweather proudly clinched $300 million.

The PacMan spoke at large on the setbacks he faced during the most important match of his career, “…I couldn’t use my right hand. “We filed the commission to see if we could use a shot to numb my shoulder. But we understand that we are not allowed, so we didn’t. “Two weeks before the fight, one week before the fight, my shoulder was getting better, but not really one hundred percent recovered…”We went for an MRI, and there is a tear in my right shoulder….”

Pacquiao’s promoter, Bob Arum too, confirmed the injury and the subsequent appeal filed at USADA. Likewise, coach Freddie Roach felt that Manny was gradually getting out of the damage and should be fighting fit at the time of the bout.

Will there ever be MayPac II?

Notwithstanding the delays, Floyd Mayweather was thirty-eight and Pacquiao thirty-six at the time of the match. However, since both were at the peak of their craft, talks of a rematch were as clear as day.

Seven years on, talks of a rematch do put in an appearance. Though retired from active boxing, Mayweather is now a veteran in the exhibition zone. At the same time, Pacquiao marked a return with a bout against Korean DK Yoo on 11th December.

The talks for a bout may soon gather steam once both living legends settle in the new trade. However, it may lack the trappings of a full-blown professional contest. But for most boxing fans, it will suffice to see two of the greatest pugilists of our era enter the ring together.

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