By Edward Chaykovsky
ESPN expert analyst Teddy Atlas is turning his back on any discussion of Manny Pacquiao's performance being attributed to a right shoulder injury. Following this past Saturday night's twelve round unanimous decision loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr. at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Pacquiao claimed to have suffered an injury to a his right should about two weeks back. An MRI revealed a tear, said Pacquiao's promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank.
Atlas was ringside for the fight at the MGM and saw no evidence of Pacquiao's shoulder being injured. He did feel Pacquiao was hesitant to get on the inside because Mayweather's quick jab and right hand counters were connecting when he made attempts to do so.
"When you've been in the business as long as me, sometimes you need to be cynical. Boxing's almost like being in politics; you can't believe everything," said Atlas to the Staten Island Advance.
"You have a responsibility when you get into the ring -- especially when you're making $100 million like Manny was -- to be ready to perform. Nobody wants to hear it. Playing injured is part of the landscape, it's part of what you do. Boxers fight through things. Sometimes, you're not 100 percent; you rarely are. Floyd probably fights with sore hands. If Pacquiao had won, would we have heard this? I didn't see any problem with his right hand then. I saw him attacking."
"I don't know for sure (about the injury), but what I did see evidence of was that Manny was hesitant of getting inside. Did I see him hesitate because he kept getting hit with right hands and jabs? I was saying all week the key to the fight was Floyd's right hand. Is all of that connected to Manny's right shoulder? No."
