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Sports

Pacquiao Will Take One More Bout in the Squared Circle

Boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao plans to trade in his boxing gloves for a run at the senate, and aims for one last fight early next year.
Photo by Oliver Petalver / TheDailySportsHerald

Filipino boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao announced on Wednesday that he is likely to retire after one last bout in the squared circle. This followed his announcement two days prior of his intention to run for senate in May of next year. In an interview with ABS-CBN, the Filipino congressman indirectly stated that the responsibilities of being an elite-level prizefighter would interfere with his obligations in political office.

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"I think I'm ready (to retire). I've been in boxing for more than 20 years," Pacquiao said. "I will have to give up the other things that require my attention. If you are a senator, your focus should only be your job and your family."

Pacquiao has been a congressman since 2010, during which he also fought a 6-3 ledger in the boxing and included a brutal knockout loss at the hands of Juan Manuel Marquez in 2012, proving the dangers of half-heartedly focusing on a sport like boxing. Since then, he's fared with mix results in the ring, scoring clear victories against the overmatched Brandon Rios and Chris Algieri, but also avenging a highly contested loss to a capable Timothy Bradley. In his most recent outing (as most everyone knows), he lost a unanimous decision to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in a bout billed as the "Fight of the Century", though the action in the ring hardly lived up to its title. Defenders will argue that a torn rotator cuff suffered early in the bout caused the Filipino's subpar performance, but injury or not, it has been fairly clear that Pacquiao has declined as a fighter since taking a position in politics.

Apparently, he hasn't been faring that well as a congressman either. It's been reported that he's shown up only a mere four days out of 70 for legislative meetings last year, and while in the media he appears to be a well-meaning guy, his actual qualifications for capably serving in a government position is questionable. Despite the criticisms, Pacquiao has still reportedly been surveyed to be one of the top candidates for the 12 senatorial positions available next year, and the boxing congressman is seemingly committed to a step up to the advanced position. Some observers believe this to be a step towards an eventual presidential bid sometime in the future.

Image via Wikimedia Commons

A number of potential opponents have been suggested for Pacquiao's final bout, but the current front-runner appears to be Britain's Amir Khan, the Olympic medalist who lost out to Andre Berto for the right to be Mayweather's final opponent. Another name thrown into the mix is the WBO light welterweight champ Terrance Crawford, though Crawford has also been mentioned in a potential unification bout with newly crowned WBC champion Viktor Postol. Then of course a rematch with Mayweather has also been talked about, but with Mayweather standing firm on his decision to retire, and the backlash from the first bout between the two, a potential rematch seems hazy at best. Fans should know shortly who the potential opponent will be as Pacquiao is set to announce the details of his final fight in November or December of this year. Stay tuned.