Fighter Manny Pacquiao was named in a lawsuit filed Tuesday in federal court in Las Vegas seeking damages for what it said was the failure to disclose injuries to the fighter that took place before his welterweight championship bout with Floyd Mayweather.
Pacquiao and others failed to disclose the information on a disclosure form and checked ‘no’ on the questionnaire that asked if he had a shoulder injury, the suit claims. The disclosure was made Saturday night shortly before the main event.
Also named in the suit is Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum, his firm, Top Rank Inc., the company’s President Todd Duboef and Michael Koncz, an advisor to Pacquiao, saying the defendants broke Nevada laws by failing to disclose the injuries before the May 2 fight to the Nevada Athletic Commission.
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Neither Pacquiao nor promoter Bob Arum could immediately be reached for comment.
The class-action suit filed by Las Vegas attorney Brandon McDonald alleges fraud and conspiracy seeking more than $5 million in damages, “exclusive of costs and interest.”
Two named plaintiffs, Staphane Vanel and Kami Rahbaran, are Clark County Nevada residents who either purchased tickets to the fight or paid the $100 to view it on cable television.
More broadly, attorney Brandon B. McDonald says the case was filed on behalf of all persons “who purchased tickets; purchased the pay per view event or who wagered money on the event.”
“All members of the Class relied upon the misrepresentations and the non-disclosures in purchasing tickets; purchasing pay per view showings; and in making wagers on the event,” the suit said. Before the fight it was reported that some 3 million people in the U.S. were set to purchase it on pay-per-view — at $100 a pop that would be $300 million owed to domestic viewers alone. Pacquiao could face disciplinary action — including a fine or suspension —from Nevada boxing officials for failing to disclose the shoulder injury before the bout. Nevada Athletic Commission chairman Francisco Aguilar said Monday that the state attorney general’s office will look at why Pacquiao checked “no” a day before the fight on a commission questionnaire asking if he had a shoulder injury.
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