US US appeals court decided on Thursday that boxing fans who felt unsatisfied and cheated over the 2015 “Fight of the Century” bout between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. cannot sue or pursue class action litigation.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals voted 3-0, saying fans and pay-per-view subscribers who spent hundreds of millions of dollars that they “got what they paid for.”
The unhappy fans argued the 12-round fight was a “yawner” and that Manny Pacquiao should have let the fans know that he has a shoulder injury before stepping into the Las Vegas ring.
However, Circuit Judge Jacqueline Nguyen said Pacquiao’s failure to disclose that he had a left shoulder injury on May 2, 2015, could not be used by the boxing fans.
The decision also stated that although many did not meet their expectations of the Pacquiao Mayweather fight, Pacquiao’s shoulder condition did not prevent him from completing the full 12 rounds of the bout.
“Although the match may have lacked the drama worthy of the pre-fight hype, Pacquiao’s shoulder condition did not prevent him from going the full 12 rounds,” Nguyen wrote. “Plaintiffs therefore essentially got what they paid for – a full-length regulation fight between these two boxing legends.”
The Judge also noted a New York state appeals court dismissed a similar fraud claims case. It is when Mike Tyson in 1997 heavyweight fight got disqualified after he bit Evander Holyfield’s ear. The court junked the case because fans had paid to see “whatever event transpired.”