A GENTLEMAN and a true warrior on and off the ring, Senator Manny Pacquiao on Thursday accepted full responsibility for his defeat to World Boxing Association welterweight champion Yordenis Ugás in Las Vegas two weeks ago.
And to stress his point, Pacquiao told strength and conditioning coach Justin Fortune and fight consultant Freddie Roach to stop blaming each other for his loss.
“Stop the senseless arguing, stop blaming each other, sometimes things like this happen,” Pacquiao said in a message he sent to both Fortune and Roach. “We have to learn how to accept defeat.”
“It’s everyone’s mistake on what has transpired,” added the eight-division world champion Pacquiao who spent his fourth day of quarantine with his family at the Conrad Hotel as he dug deep into his task as a senator.
BusinessMirror reported on Thursday that Roach blamed Fortune for Pacquiao developing cramps on both legs thus limiting his lateral movement and slowing down his reflexes and punches.
Fortune also cited Pacquiao did so much running before the weigh-in instead of focusing on strategies for the fight.
Pacquiao admitted he shouldn’t have sprinted twice around the University of Nevada, Las Vegas twice before fight night.
“I was really wrong with that, I miscalculated myself,” he said.
Roach didn’t return calls or messages, while Pacquiao’s head coach and trainer Buboy Fernandez refused to make any comment.
Pacquiao, however, assured no one in his camp “will be left behind” in the event that he retires from boxing, go for a rematch with Ugás or a farewell fight or run for the presidency in the May elections.
He said he will announce his decision in October.
“I will give them pieces of advice and unite my team. It’s not good that we just get disbanded,” Pacquiao said. “But if I decide to run [for president], that’s another decision in my life.”
Pacquiao reiterated that he is physically and mentally fit to give the fans a competitive fight despite his age, 42, and his more than 20 years in professional boxing.
“I can still fight based on my body and my health, but I have been boxing for a very, very long time. I will consider my family’s decision,” he said. “I’ll evaluate everything if I’ll go for a fitting farewell fight early next year.”