Former eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao, widely recognized as one of the greatest pugilists of the modern era, recently announced his retirement from the “sweet science” following a unanimous decision loss to Yordenis Ugas last August in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before.
“To the greatest fans and the greatest sport in the world, thank you! Thank you for all the wonderful memories,” Pacquiao wrote on Twitter. “This is the hardest decision I’ve ever made, but I’m at peace with it. Chase your dreams, work hard, and watch what happens. Goodbye boxing.”
The 42 year-old “Pac Man” finishes 62-8-2 with 39 knockouts.
Pacquiao was expected to cash in on the celebrity boxing craze earlier this year in Macau, but then Conor McGregor got knocked out by Dustin Poirier at UFC 257, setting up an immediate trilogy with “The Diamond” and sending the Filipino politician into a fight against Errol Spence Jr. Ugas.
A bout that should have gone to Mikey Garcia, according to this lawsuit.
“I boldly accept the challenge of running as PRESIDENT of the Philippines,” Pacquiao told his social media followers. “We need progress. We need to win against poverty. We need government to serve our people with integrity, compassion and transparency. The time is now. I am ready to rise to the challenge of leadership.”
Hopefully his next campaign speech can leave out these “abhorrent remarks.”