Going into his fight last night against Timothy Bradley, Manny Pacquiao was talking about how it was likely going to be his last fight as he sets his sights on retirement and moving forward in his political career. After his unanimous decision victory over Bradley, which included a couple knockdowns, Pacquiao reiterated he was done with the sport and ready to serve the people of the Philippines.
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“Yes, as of now I am retired,” Pacquiao said. “I am going to go home and think about it, but I want to be with my family. I want to serve the people [of the Philippines].”
He intends to retire to a life of charitable work and politics in the Philippines, where he is a two-term congressman running for a senate seat. The election is next month, and he is favored to win one of the 12 seats up for election.
His trainer, Freddie Roach, thought Manny looked so good in the ring that he hopes he changes his mind about retiring. “I loved the way Manny threw his combos. He may be a little rusty, but if he wants to continue fighting, I think he can still go,” Roach said.
Pacquiao looked much better against Bradley than he did in his most recent fight against Floyd Mayweather. If this Manny would have showed up to fight Floyd, that night back in May might have been something spectacular, instead of a one sided whooping, courtesy of Floyd.
“I was looking for a knockout in every round,” Pacquiao said. “He’s a very tough fighter and a very good counter-puncher. Bradley is a good boxer, a great fighter and a good man. It was not easy tonight, [but] my right shoulder was fine. It gave me no problems.”
Aside from maybe a rematch with Mayweather, this likely was the last we will see of Pacquiao and he gave us a great career.
