Filipino boxing champion Manny Pacquiao lazily fiddled with his phone saying he was “bored” while his unbeaten rival, American Floyd Mayweather made boxing history on Sunday.
As Mayweather tied heavyweight Rocky Marciano’s 49-0 record by beating Andre Berto in Las Vegas, Pacquiao tapped an off-key tune on his iPhone while lounged in bed.
“What I do when I’m bored. Hehe,” Pacquiao captioned the Instagram post, which got 36,000 likes in the first two hours after it was posted.
The eight-division world champion and member of the Philippine parliament then snickered, smiled and rolled over.
He did not mention Mayweather in the post but the hundreds who commented on the post saw it as Pacquiao’s dig at his brash rival, who has only won twice inside the distance since 2007.
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Pacquiao on Friday called on Nevada sports officials to “impose the appropriate sanction” on Mayweather for allegedly violating anti-doping rules in the build-up to their mega-fight in May.
He also asked for a rematch, saying he was treated unfairly when he was not allowed to take USDA-approved painkillers for his injured shoulder before the fight.
“That is why I want a rematch. One without any injury and with fair play. No favouritism. Not one where the Mayweather camp gets to dictate all the terms and conditions,” he said.
Mayweather allegedly received an injection of vitamins and minerals on the eve of his fight with Pacquiao, a violation of World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) rules, according to a report on SB Nation sports website.
However, Mayweather insisted that he was a “clean” athlete and the United States Anti-Doping Agency (Usada) said the IV infusions did not violate any rules.
The richest fight in boxing history took years to become reality, partly because of Mayweather’s insistence that Pacquiao comply with a strict drug-testing regime.
The fight generated $400 million (Dh1.47bn) in US revenues fuelled by 4.4 million pay-per view buys.
The 38-year-old Mayweather, who styles himself as “TBE” or “The Best Ever” said after Sunday’s fight with Berto that it would be his last.
Pacquiao, who is recovering from shoulder surgery, is preparing for a gruelling election campaign that will start by the end of the year.
He is eligible to run for another term in Congress, where he represents his impoverished home province of Sarangani, or he can opt to run for the Senate.
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