Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather 'Regret' Revealed by Trainer Freddie Roach

Freddie Roach, Manny Pacquiao's trainer, has expressed his "regret" over allowing the Filipino to face Floyd Mayweather Jr. in their long-awaited superfight in May with a shoulder injury.

Per Radio Rahim of BoxingScene.com, he said:

"

I always regret [not pulling him out] that because I was one of the ones who wanted to cancel the fight because of the injuries, but everyone else thought that if it don't happen now it would never happen and there was so much money involved and so forth.

I know my heart was in the right place. He wasn't going to win that fight one-handed, and I think we should have waited until he was healthy and we would have had a better shot, but that's how things go in boxing.

"

The 36-year-old was comprehensively outmatched by the American over the course of 12 rounds, and Mayweather was inevitably crowned the winner by unanimous decision.

Pacquiao's use of his right arm was visibly restricted during the contest, particularly after he was denied an anti-inflammatory shot after his representatives incorrectly filled in the pre-fight paperwork at the weigh-in.

The revelation of his injury in the aftermath of the bout divided opinion, with ESPN's Dan Rafael believing he used it as an excuse for his failure to significantly challenge Mayweather:

Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix begged to differ:

What is clear is the injury did hamper Pacquiao's ability to compete and, as Rahim notes, required surgery shortly after the fight.

The encounter was already arguably several years too late to begin with and required an extraordinary set of circumstances and amount of money to bring about, so further delay would have been an unpopular decision with fans.

That said, the fight was largely viewed as a huge letdown, so it could have been a more entertaining affair had he been fit.

Per Rahim, Roach and Pacquiao were hoping for a rematch in his final fight, due to take place next year.

With Mayweather having retired in September, the question of who would have won if circumstances were different will remain forever unanswered, barring an incredibly sensational turnaround by Money.