HBO's Max Kellerman defends Manny Pacquiao for fighting through shoulder injury

When Max Kellerman drew flak for fans for his questions to Manny Pacquiao after his defeat to Floyd Mayweather, the HBO boxing announcer countered by saying that he loved the the Filipino ring icon.

 

Proving just that, Kellerman defended Pacquiao's decision to fight through his shoulder injury to climb the ring against the unbeaten American champion.

 

During HBO's broadcast of the Saul Canelo-James Kirkland fight, Kellerman said that Pacquiao simply "manned up" when he chose to go ahead with the bout.

 

"I think some people had the sense that Manny Pacquiao sold out for the money, and by fighting with a torn rotator cuff somehow perpetrated a fraud on the public. I strongly disagree with this," Kellerman said.

 

"When all the tickets have already been sold, the hotel rooms have been booked, the airfare etc., the eyes of the boxing world were hoping to see this fight, and what did Manny Pacquiao do? He manned up."

 

 

Pacquiao had been under fire for carrying on with the fight despite the injury, which he suffered in sparring three weeks before the fight. Several lawsuits have been filed alleging that Pacquiao deceived the public for fighting while hurt. 

 

Kellerman noted that pulling out of the fight could have led to a permanent cancellation.

 

"If he postpones, there may never be a Mayweather-Pacquiao fight. Who knows if Mayweather’s still active 12 months-plus into the future," said Kellerman, who like Pacquiao laid the blame on the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

 

"So Pacquiao’s camp clears it with USADA, the drug-testing body that Mayweather’s side insisted upon. USADA says ‘fine, a shot of toradol is fine’ and then ultimately at the 11th hour, the Nevada State Athletic Commission says Pacquiao can’t get the shot of toradol because of what was essentially was a clerical error? Because some box wasn’t checked off? A form wasn’t filled right? If people are mad at anybody for Pacquiao not being at his best, if that is the view, be mad at the Nevada State Athletic Commission, in my view, because just when the boxing world needed them to show sound judgement, they chose to stand on principle instead of cooperate with the spirit of the event." —JST, GMA News