Manny Pacquiao has claimed that he had to deal with a shoulder injury in the build-up to his superfight with Floyd Mayweather Jr in Las Vegas.
The Filipino was unable to breach the American's tight defence on enough occasions to cause problems and continued counter punching saw Mayweather seal a points victory at the MGM Grand Arena.
At a post-fight press conference, Pacquiao revealed that he had been nursing a shoulder problem during training for the welterweight unification match, but the 36-year-old insisted that he did not "want to make alibis" for his loss.
He told reporters: "I respect Floyd Mayweather. The third round I really felt the pain in my shoulder.
"I fought a good fight. I did my best. My shoulder, I didn't complain in the ring. It's part of the game."
Trainer Freddie Roach also hinted that a postponement of the superfight was briefly considered, but Paquiao's progress during his preparation saw the fight go ahead.
Speaking after the bout, Pacquiao also suggested that he did enough to beat Mayweather.
Chris O'Keefe
