Two weeks after revealing he’s retiring from the sport, Manny Pacquiao made it official on Tuesday evening that he’s ending his 26-year professional boxing career at 42.
Pacquiao (62-8-2, 39 KOs) goes out on an arguably sour note, losing to Yordenis Ugas by a 12 round unanimous decision last month on August 21st.
Although Manny had kicked around the idea of staying on long enough to try and avenge his loss to the WBA ‘Super World’ welterweight champion Ugas, he thought better of it and has decided to hang up his gloves.
The former eight-division world champion Pacquiao will be making a run at the presidency of the Philippines in March of 2022, and he’ll need all his time and energy to focus on that task.
In walking from boxing, Pacquiao will be remembered for some of the biggest wins of his career over Tim Bradley, Juan Manuel Marquez, Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, and Miguel Cotto.
Pacquiao sent boxing great De La Hoya into retirement and ended Hatton’s career as a significant player with a crushing second round knockout in 2009.
In 1995, Pacquiao began his career at 108 and blasting off from there, winning world titles at 112, 122, 130, 135, 147, and 154.
Along the way, Pacquiao created a massive following of boxing fans due to his exciting fighting style and his ability to defeat more prominent fighters than himself.
Pacquiao’s best performances of his career came against his nemesis Juan Manuel Marquez, as those two had some of the most thrilling fights.
In the end, Pacquiao backed off from his career following his upset win over WBA welterweight champion Keith ‘One Time’ Thurman in 2019. When Manny returned two years later to challenge Ugas for his WBA title, he wasn’t the same fighter he’d been.
The two years out of the ring had taken away Pacquiao’s mobility, and his hand speed wasn’t the same.
Nevertheless, Pacquiao was competitive with Ugas and gave him a run for his money in losing a 12 round unanimous decision last August.
Originally, Pacquiao was supposed to challenge IBF/WBC welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. for his titles, but unfortunately, Errol suffered an eye injury and how to bow out. That would have been an ideal fight for Pacquiao to end his career on, but it wasn’t to be.
“Even me, I’m amazed at what I have done,” Pacquiao said on social meda. “The only boxer to hold world titles in four different decades and became the oldest boxer to win a world welterweight title, an amazing accomplishment.”
“It is difficult for me to accept that my time as a boxer is over,” he added. “Today, I am announcing my retirement. I never thought that this day would come. As I hang up my boxing gloves, I would like to thank the whole world, especially the Filipino people, for supporting Manny Pacquiao.”
Manny’s victories over Cotto, Antonio Margarito, Marco Antonio Barrera, and Erik Morales were impressive. Despite taking on guys with more size and incredible talent, Pacquiao still found a way to win against those talented fighters.
Pacquiao fought for the love of the sport, as he’d already become wealthy many years ago. With a huge fortune estimated at $220 million, Pacquiao leaves boxing as a wealthy man.
“Goodbye, boxing. Thank you for changing my life,” Pacquiao said. “You gave me the chance to find a 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 my life.
“I will never forget what I have done and accomplished in my life. I can’t imagine that I have just heard the final bell.”
It’ll be interesting to see if Pacquiao chooses to return for one more farewell fight, as MP Promotions president Sean Gibbons mentioned recently. He said he would like to see Pacquiao fight a farewell match against Mikey Garcia. As of now, it would seem unlikely if Pacquiao wins the presidency in the Philippines.