WATCH: Kellerman defends Pacquiao on injury

 

Analyst blames NSAC instead

Remenber Max Kellerman, whose post fight interview with Manny Pacquiao incensed the boxer’s loyal fans?

The HBO color commentator had just defended the Filipino champion over Pacquiao's injury, which has been dubbed “shouldergate” by some sports journalists.

In his analysis on HBO Sports, Kellerman asserted that Pacquiao didn’t commit fraud when he chose to fight on despite having a torn rotator cuff three weeks before his fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Kellerman said that with the injury, the Filipino was faced with a dilemma.

“A dilemma is not a tough choice. A dilemma is choice between two bad options. What was Manny Pacquiao supposed to do, when three weeks before the fight, he was diagnosed with a torn rotator cuff that needed surgery? Was he supposed to postpone the fight, taking twelve months off in the interim?” he said in the HBO video posted by Boxing Videos Only on Facebook.

“Does coming back after shoulder surgery and a seventeen month ring absence give him a better chance to beat the best pound for pound fighter in the world? The tickets had already been sold, the hotel rooms had been booked, the airfare, etc…the eyes of the boxing world waiting six years to see this fight.”

Kellerman said that instead of vilifying the boxer, he should get praise for fighting despite the odds.

“What did Manny Pacquiao do? He manned-up,” said the analyst.

If there’s anyone to blame for the superfight flopping out, it should be the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC), Kellerman said, noting that the USADA has approved Pacquiao’s use of an anti-inflammatory drug, but the Commission has prevented this because of a “clerical error.”

“USADA says, ‘fine…a shot of Toradol is fine’. And then ultimately, at the eleventh hour, the Nevada State Athletic Commission says Pacquiao can’t get a shot of Toradol because of what is essentially a clerical error? Because some box wasn’t checked off and some form wasn’t filled out correctly?” said the analyst.

“If people are mad at anybody for Pacquiao not being at his best on May 2, be mad at the Nevada State Athletic Commission, in my view. Because just when the boxing world needed them to show sound judgment, they decided to stand on principle instead of cooperating with the spirit of the event.”

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

What HBO has to say about Pacquiao-Floyd fight

MANILA, Philippines – HBO has denied that it is an "impediment" in the negotiations for a potential mega-fight between superstar boxers Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr.

HBO airs Pacquiao's fights, but Mayweather has an exclusive contract with rival network Showtime/CBS.

"We are not an impediment to this fight," HBO said in a statement. "We stand ready to go."

"The principals need to agree to terms and come to a deal," the network added.

HBO and Showtime have previously worked together to promote a fight, when Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson faced off in June 2002.

RingTV reported that among the "major stalling points" is that HBO is insisting on being able to show the replays of the fight.

For the Lewis-Tyson bout, the network who represented the winner earned replay rights; in that case, HBO did after Lewis, their fighter, knocked out Tyson.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com