Manny Pacquiao Must Secure Rematch with Floyd Mayweather After Surgery

Manny Pacquiao's redemption trail begins now. 

It needs to end with a rematch against Floyd Mayweather Jr.

"Shoulder-gate" is now upon the globe thanks to an injury Pacquiao suffered during training for the superfight, which flared up during the actual bout. Regardless of injury, Pac-Man was outclassed and didn't have an answer for Mayweather's defensive riddle.

Not only does a loss in the biggest fight of his career do some damage to the legacy department, the injury situation doesn't help.

According to The Associated Press, fans filed a lawsuit because Pacquiao didn't disclose the injury before the fight. To be fair, with expectations high for one of the most anticipated fights in the sport's history, the fight to save the sport despite both men being well past their respective primes was bound to disappoint regardless.

But the Nevada Athletic Commission may want a piece of Pacquiao for the same reason. Chairman Francisco Aguilar says the fact Pacquiao's camp didn't disclose the issue is up for investigation.

"We will gather all the facts and follow the circumstances," Aguilar said, per The AP, via ESPN.com. "At some point we will have some discussion. As a licensee of the commission you want to make sure fighters are giving you up-to-date information."

Regardless of injury, the loss on its lonesome is legacy-damaging material. 

Pacquaio was never his aggressive self, instead willing to play the statistical game with Mayweather, which will never work to anyone's advantage. The final numbers say quite a lot, as captured by CompuBox:

Even if Pacquiao did suffer the injury early in the encounter, his lack of aggressiveness and coming out of the corner with a smile late in the fight despite being down on the scorecards is something folks will remember.

Perhaps the shocking calmness falls on the shoulders of misguided advice from his corner. Maybe Pacquiao truly believed he was winning.

Regardless, folks remember.

Pacquiao is the guy who suffered two consecutive losses in 2012, the last a brutal knockout at the hands of Juan Manuel Marquez. He had to work himself back up through the ranks with three wins just to even justify a bout with Mayweather, then fell flat on his face in the big dance.

There's no coming back for Pacquiao. He can't just recover from the injury and move on to different opponents. He needs to get in the ring with Money again. Call it going all-in on his legacy.

Mayweather sounds willing to give Pacquiao the bout, too, per SportsCenter:

So much for retirement talk, right?

Mayweather has one fight left on his Showtime contract and sounds like he wants to fight in September, but this new nugget of information suggests he'll either wait around for a rematch or go for the prestigious 50-0 mark, which is something nobody should put past Mayweather no matter how much he insists the record doesn't matter.

Pacquiao had better be game after surgery. The sport doesn't need a rematch after the disappointing first fight, but he does. Promoter Bob Arum says his corner will entertain a rematch if surgery goes well.

"We first have to make sure the rotator cuff heals well," Arum said, per ESPN.com's Dan Rafael. "Dr. [Neal] ElAttrache is a famous surgeon, one of the best in the business, so I'm confident the surgery will work, and if it does, why wouldn't we entertain a rematch?"

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Granted, both fighters will be even slower, but first-bout disappointment won't quell the interest or financial gain of a rematch. Pacquiao's injury plants a seed of doubt in many thanks to the "what if" question had Pac-Man been healthy the first time around.

The effect the injury had is up for debate considering Mayweather's style puts him at a major advantage against Pacquiao, not to mention Money's reach at 72" is much better than Pacquiao's, who comes in at 67", meaning he must put himself at continued risk inside to stand a chance.

Regardless, the seed of doubt helps Pacquiao in a big way. Should he step in the ring for a rematch and score a victory, all of a sudden, the first match's result gets thrown into question and fans are perhaps safe to assume Pacquiao would have won if healthy. It's a boon in the legacy department he can't get anywhere else at this stage of his career.

Maybe the two can't put on a fight many had hoped for, but for Pacquiao, it's worth a second try. If healthy, it sounds like an idea a fighter considering retirement might consider, so he needs to be all over it to right his wrongs suffered in the first encounter.