When considering his illustrious career, it is difficult to imagine that Manny Pacquiao, an eight-division world champion, harbours any regrets about how it all unfolded.
Not only has he earned an obscene amount of money from the sport – and rightfully so – but Pacquiao’s legacy is perhaps mostly defined by the fights he won and lost.
His compelling rivalries with the likes of Juan Manuel Marquez and Erik Morales, for instance, were, regardless of each result, crucial to the establishment of his warrior reputation.
Especially in the lower divisions, ‘Pac Man’ enthralled fans with his dynamic and ferocious style, swiftly positioning himself as one of the sport’s most formidable offensive-minded fighters.
Then, by moving up to 147lbs, where many deemed him to be significantly undersized, the Filipino only extended his ruthless surge and secured notable wins over the likes of Miguel Cotto, Antonio Margarito and Shane Mosley.
At this point, it remains practically impossible to see where any regrets may have entered the equation, though it was not until his money-spinning showdown with Floyd Mayweather Jr that Pacquiao began to doubt his own judgement.
When the pair squared off in 2015, many suspected that the Filipino legend, who is somehow still competing at 46 years old, was well past his prime.
But while that appeared to be the case for both fighters, the main concern, for Pacquiao, was that he had acquired an injury ahead of their welterweight clash.
Reflecting on that situation, Pacquiao, who lost a clear points decision to Mayweather, has told Business Insider that things may have panned out differently if their fight had been postponed.
“If I could change one thing in my career, I’d have asked to postpone my 2015 fight against Floyd Mayweather after hurting my shoulder in training.
I thought it was going to be okay and that I’d be feeling better without an operation after suffering that injury two weeks before the fight.
But my injury worsened after the third round. Pushing for that important fight to happen as scheduled is my biggest regret.”
As for Pacquiao’s future, he appears set to challenge Rolly Romero for his WBA welterweight title in 2026.
