Manny Pacquiao has insisted that he is fully focused on his recovery from shoulder surgery and refused to hit back at Floyd Mayweather’s claims that he was a “sore loser”.
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Pacquiao returned to the Philippines on Tuesday and was greeted by a huge crowd in Manila who gave him a hero’s welcome despite his lopsided loss to his American rival over a week ago.
The 36-year-old still had his arm in a sling as he continues to recover from surgery on his shoulder for a torn rotator cuff, with the controversy of the issue continuing to rumble on.
The Filipino has been heavily criticised for bringing his injury to light after his loss, while he also faces disciplinary and legal action for not properly disclosing the issue before fight night.
Mayweather initially suggested that he would be open to a rematch next year once Pacquiao had made a full recovery, but he backtracked on that later in an interview in which he labeled his last opponent a “sore loser” and coward.
“For now I don’t talk about it, about my next fight,” Pacquiao said, according to Sky Sports.
“My focus is to recover and be OK. The doctor said I will recover 100%.”
He added: “I don’t want to go down to their level.”
It remains to be seen what happens next for both Mayweather and Pacquiao, with the former set for the final fight on his CBS/Showtime contract in September.
Should a rematch with Pac-Man still appeal, the unbeaten superstar could choose to forego that date and wait until next year, and based on the revenue figures from the gate receipts and domestic PPV buys alone, it will certainly make business sense with the fight expected to generate well over $500m.
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