If Manny Pacquiao’s last time in the ring was indeed on Saturday, April 9, then he has ended his career on a high note.
The Filipino fighter who rose to fame in a rags-to-riches storyline concluded what he has said would be his 12 final rounds as a professional boxer in a victory against two-time former WBO welterweight champion Timothy Bradley, Jr., an opponent he has faced in the ring on three occasions.
Pacquiao announced he would hang his gloves up after Saturday’s bout to focus on serving the Philippines, where he is seeking to win a senate seat on the May 9 election.
“As of now, I’m retired,” he said. “I am going to go home and think about [fighting again]. I want to go home with my family and serve the people.”
But before he secured his victory, 37-year-old Pacquiao (58-6-2 KOs) gave millions of viewers around the world a fight that included knocking down Bradley (33-2-1) twice, in the seventh and ninth rounds. His performance resulted in a unanimous decision in his favor from the judges, who scored it 116-110.
HBO commentators during the fight noticed what they said appeared to be some sort of problem with his right shoulder, which was injured and exacerbated during Pacquiao’s long-awaited match against the undefeated Floyd Mayweather, Jr. However, he dismissed concerns and said he was OK.
“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.”
Before the fight, Bradley said he planned on fighting at a level similar to the performance he gave during the ninth round of his fight against Brandon Rios in November, which he won with a knockout.
CompuBox reported that Pacquiao connected on 122 of 439 punches, while the Bradley landed 99 of 302.
“Manny is patient … I wasn’t professional enough to be patient myself and I walked into some shots,” he said following his loss.
“He’s very quick, very explosive and it’s hard to judge him with quick reflexes. He won the fight, much respect to Manny Pacquiao.”
In between the fighters’ post-match interviews, Pacquiao, who is fond of Bradley, invited his opponent to Sunday prayer breakfast. Yet despite looking sharp after his win, Pacquiao affirmed he was retiring.
Pacquiao’s promoter, Bob Arum, however, said he believes the boxer’s retirement is more of a trial separation.
“He’s torn. His wife wants him to retire. He’s running for office, and if he wins, which he will, there will be tremendous responsibilities that go with that,” Arum said, according to ESPN.
Arum also said that Pacquiao may need a big paycheck in the near future. The Filipino fighter reportedly was set to receive $20 million for his third fight against Bradley. For his fight in the ring with Mayweather in May, he reportedly earned $160 million.
“He doesn’t have money problems now, but of course he’s going to have money problems if he’s going to be building hospitals out of his own pocket instead of letting the [Philippine] government build the hospitals,” Arum said, according to ESPN.
His trainer, Freddie Roach, has said leading up to the match that he would support whatever decision Pacquiao made.
“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.
After the fight, when a questioner pointed out to Pacquiao that it seemed like his family wanted him to retire more than he did, he laughed.
“In my heart I’m 50-50. But I love my family, and I won’t hurt my family, my kids. I don’t know, I might enjoy my retired life or I might want to come back. It’s hard to say because I’m not there yet. But right now, my decision is to retire,” he said, according to ESPN.
