Manny Pacquiao faces a lawsuit over alleged failure to mention shoulder injury

It has been described as the "hype of the century"
as opposed to the "fight of the century"

The 36-year-old ticked 'no' on a pre-fight questionnaire which asked whether he had an injury and now could face jail time of up to four years

Manny Pacquiao's legal woes continue after he is sued in U.S. court for allegedly not disclosing his shoulder injury.

Two people in Nevada filed a lawsuit today against Pacquiao, alleging the boxer defrauded ticket buyers, television viewers and gamblers by failing to disclose a pre-bout shoulder injury ahead of his fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr.

The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Nevada and seeks status as a class action. It asks for all relief allowed by law.

The fighter could already be in legal hot water after failing to disclose his shoulder injury before his fight.

The Filipino lost Saturday's clash in Vegas by unanimous decision, but complained of a shoulder problem in the aftermath of the defeat.

In a pre-fight questionnaire, one of the questions read: "Have you had any injury to your shoulders, elbows, or hands that needed evaluation or examination? If yes, explain..." Pacquiao ticked 'no'.

The only things Pacquiao disclosed in the questionnaire were the medicines which he had taken in the last month.

Accoridng to the document, by signing, both Pacquiao and his adviser Michael Koncz "hereby swear under penalty of perjury, that the above information is true and correct to the best of my knowledge".

“Disclosure is a big thing for us, and honesty,” Cisco Aguilar, the Nevada Athletic Commissioner chairman told the Daily News on Monday.

“The commission at some point will have to discuss (Pacquiao's medical questionnaire). I've got to run through the process with the (Nevada) Attorney General (Adam Laxalt). But they do sign that document under the penalty of perjury.

“We will gather all the facts and follow the circumstances," he continued. “At some point we will have some discussion. As a licensee of the commission you want to make sure fighters are giving you up-to-date information.

“The medications he was taking were disclosed on his medical questionnaire, but not the actual injury.

“This isn't our first fight. This is our business. There is a process, and when you try to screw with the process, it's not going to work for you.“

Floyd Mayweather, Jr. poses with his title belts after defeating Manny Pacquiao

If found guilty, Pacquiao could face anything between one and four years in prison, and a fine of up to $5,000.

In his client's defence, Koncz told the New York Times: "Number one, Manny didn't check the box. I checked it. It was just an inadvertent mistake. If I was trying to hide anything, would I have listed all the medications on the sheet that he intended to use?

"We weren't trying to hide anything. I just don't think I read the questionnaire correctly.

"I’m going to take full responsibility for what happened. The wrong box was checked. But I think part of the responsibility also lies with the commission. Wouldn't you ask a question about all these medications (on the questionnaire)?

"The bottom line is that we weren't trying to hide anything. If we had wanted to, we could have done the injection at the hotel before the fight and nobody would have known but we didn't want to hide anything."

Pacquiao will need surgery to repair the problem, which could rule out the possibility of a September rematch with Mayweather.

After the fight, Pacquiao said of his shoulder injury: “We wanted a shot for numbing the shoulder but we respect the decision of the Commission it was getting better and better but was still not 100 per cent.

Fans of boxing icon Manny Pacquiao watch his fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. at a public park in Marikina city

“Three weeks before the fight, I had to skip training a couple of day because of the injury – I had an MRI scan and there was a tear in my right shoulder.

“I did my best but my best wasn't good enough. I don't want to make alibis and reasons. I'm happy that for 12 rounds I fought a good fight. I thought I won, but I have to review the video to see what happened.

“The fight was still good. Mayweather is a great boxer, give him the credit, he has won and he's proved it.”