Boxing News: Manny Pacquiao Won’t Return In 2015, Adviser Michael Koncz Says

Manny Pacquiao’s recovery from a shoulder injury has reportedly been ahead of schedule and a return to ring in 2015 is possible. However, Michael Koncz, the Filipino boxer’s adviser, debunked such speculation, saying at the earliest, Pacquiao will return to action in the first quarter of next year.

“It’ll be next year, late February or March,” Koncz said via thaboxingvoice.com. “We have actually sent videos of Manny’s activities to his doctors in the U.S.”

Top Rank Promotions owner Bob Arum was one of the people who mentioned of a possibility of a 2015 return for Pacquiao, who was initially expected to be out six to nine months since his last fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr. last May. From the original timetable, the worst-case scenario for Pacquiao, who suffered a shoulder injury in the lead-up to the Mayweather fight and aggravated it during the bout, is a possible return to boxing activities by February.

Some boxing pundits have accused Pacquiao of faking the shoulder injury and making it the excuse in his poor performance against Mayweather.

While Pacquiao recovers for his injury, Mayweather is set to face unheralded fighter Andre Berto in September. The Mayweather-Berto pairing has been criticized by both experts and fans, who say the match-up is one-sided and Mayweather has yet again picked an easy opponent for his next fight, and possibly the undefeated American’s last bout.

Pacquiao is just 3-3 in his last three bouts losing to Tim Bradley and Juan Manuel Marquez in 2012 and to Mayweather last May.