SENATOR Manny Pacquiao announced his retirement from boxing on Wednesday, ending an illustrious 26-year rags-to-riches story and kicking off another of his noble fights this time in the political arena hoping to weave the same fairy-tale ending all the way to Malacañang.
For weeks after losing his last fight in August to Cuban Yordenis Ugás in Las Vegas, the writing on the wall couldn’t be denied—the Filipino boxing icon, the People’s Champ and the Pambansang Kamao looked bound to hang up his gloves.
“It is difficult for me to accept that my time as a boxer is over. Today, I’m announcing my retirement. Wow…I never thought that this day would come,” the 42-year-old Pacquiao said in his retirement speech shown live on his Facebook page. “As I hang up my boxing gloves, I would like to thank the whole world, especially the Filipino people for supporting Manny Pacquiao.”
“Glory to God who made it all happen. I always believe that in God all things are possible. Without Him, I am nothing,” he said. “He is the One who gives me the ability and strength to accomplish all those things.”
“Goodbye, boxing…Thank you for changing my life. When my family was desperate, you gave us hope. You gave me the chance to fight our way out of poverty. Because of you, I was able to inspire people all over the world. Because of you, I have been given the courage to change more lives. I just heard the final bell. Thank you to all of you.”
Pacquiao was a skinny teenager who stowed away on a ship from his hometown in General Santos City in search of a silver lining in Manila. He did odd jobs to make both ends meet and eventually, found himself boxing for cash.
He made his professional boxing debut as a junior flyweight in 1995, at the age of 16, fighting his way out of abject poverty to become one of the world’s highest-paid athletes.
Pacquiao finished his 72-fight career with 62 wins, eight losses and two draws. Of those 62 wins, 39 were by knockout and 23 by decision. He won 12 world titles and is the only fighter in history to win titles in eight different weight classes.
“His legacy and records speak for himself, he never turned down any fights,” Gibbons said, who became the right hand man of Pacquiao after his contract with Top Rank’s Bob Arum expired in 2017.
He last fought on August 21 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, losing the World Boxing Association welterweight belt he previously owned to Ugás.
A rematch with Ugás or a fitting farewell fight in January? Those won’t happen anymore as he embarks to preparing for his next fight in the political arena when he runs for the presidency in the May 6, 2022, elections.
“He had a chance to get a big bang send-off farewell fight, but he wanted to focus on winning the presidency of the country,” Sean Gibbons, MP Promotions president, told the BusinessMirror.
“The people will miss the people’s champion.”
“When he goes to run, a lot of people follow him. When he goes to the gym, the people also follow him,” Gibbons said. “He is a true natural-born leader. Boxing is going to be a little bit sadder without him.” With AP
Image courtesy of AP