Boxing News: Manny Pacquiao could get beaten in his first fight back from shoulder injury

Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao could be ready for a boxing match early next year, with Top Rank Promotions talking about a return to the ring for the former eight-division titlist in the coming months. However, Pacquiao could get beaten in his first fight back from his shoulder injury, which he suffered in a loss against undefeated champ Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Pacquiao, who is coming off a surgery from a torn rotator cuff suffered in May, is expected to get back in action in the early months of 2016. However, according to Chris Williams of the Boxing News 24, an injury like a torn rotator cuff could see the 37-year-old Pacquiao lose what has left of his punching prowess, which could see him being defeated in his first fight back from his shoulder injury.

“At this point there’s a high chance that Pacquiao is going to get beaten in his first fight back from his shoulder surgery,” Williams wrote. “Arum doesn’t want to put Pacquiao in a tune-up for some reason, and he’s going to go ahead and match him tough in his first fight back in February or March of next year against one of the following fighters: Amir Khan, Terence Crawford, Lucas Matthysse or Juan Manuel Marquez.”

Williams said that it is strange that Pacquiao would come back in the boxing ring in less than a year, citing as an example American boxer Jeff Lacy, who had a torn left rotator cuff, which took exactly a year to fully recover. Williams pointed out that Lacy returned to the boxing ring but was not able to retain his devastating punching power in his left hand.

The report also said that Pacquiao could fight Crawford, a Top Rank fighter, rather than a non-Top Rank boxer, although the boxer-turned-politician has been also rumoured to fight former sparring partner Khan early next year. However, it is said that Bob Arum is unlikely to let Pacquiao fight again without an MRI scan on his right shoulder.

According to Steve Carp of Las Vegas Review Journal, Arum said he is looking to book a fight for Pacquiao in March, or until his injury is fully recovered. “He's doing a million things right now. But I'm not going to make a fight for him until he sees (Dr. Neal) ElAttrache. ElAttrache said he won't clear him until there's an MRI,” Arum said.

Pacquiao is on the road to retirement but still has a couple of big fights left in him. A clash with Khan would be the most anticipated fight for next year, with boxing fans certain to clamour for a mega-fight from the Filipino after a disappointing bout against Mayweather in May.

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