Plaintiffs who say the May fight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao was a fraud will have their case heard by a federal judge in California.
The May 2 extravaganza, in which unbeatenMayweather claimed a unanimous points decision over Filipino star Pacquiao, has become the subject of legal proceedings following claims from Pacquiao that he fought with a shoulder injury.
Pacquiao didn't disclose his shoulder injury prior to the Las Vegas clash. 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'.
Subsequently, the record-breaking encounter has become the subject of legal proceedings, amid claims that the event defrauded ticket buyers and television viewers.
Now, Judge R. Gary Klausner will decide if the cases are granted class-action status ahead of any trial proceedings, after a panel of judges ruled on Friday that the lawsuits - despite being filed across different jurisdictions - could be consolidated into a single case.
The case will be heard in the Central District of California - where Pacquiao allegedly injured his shoulder while training, ahead of the bout.
The U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation said in its decision that determining the severity and timing of the boxer's rotator-cuff injury could require "significant factual, and possibly expert, discovery."
The panel said questions about the facts of the case, including for example who knew about the injury, are sufficiently complex to warrant consolidating the large number of related cases.
The fight generated over $400million according to HBO and Showtime - the American TV companies who broadcast the event - with a staggering 4.4million PPV buys of the 'Fight of the Century'.
Both fighters earned more than $100million.
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.
“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.”
Over 30 lawsuits have been filed, in numerous states stretching across the United States.
Pacquiao and his promoter, Top Rank, are named in all of the lawsuits, while Mayweather, HBO and Showtime are also included in some.
Pacquiao underwent shoulder surgery just four days after the fight, with the Filipino expected to be out of action until February.
And although Britain's Amir Khan is keen on a potential clash, the 36-year-old's trainer, Freddie Roach, is eyeing a comeback fight against undefeated super welterweight champion Danny Garcia.
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