The report stems from a quote from boxing promoter Bob Arum, who said the following:
“I’m telling you what he told me last week at dinner in New York…We talked very seriously and he said, ‘Bob, hopefully, by the middle of May I will have been elected senator in the Philippines and at that point I cannot engage in boxing because I need to focus on the senate and I have to be in attendance.’ Manny told me this fight on April 9 will be his last fight.”
Pacquiao began his political career in 2007, running for a seat in the Philippines’ House of Representatives, but lost to the incumbent Darlene Antonino-Custodio. He would again run for office in 2010, and this time succeeded in becoming a congressman for the region of Sarangani, and came out on top as the incumbent in 2013. He is currently focusing on his aforementioned race for the Senate.
The timing couldn’t be better for Pacquiao. While the 65-match veteran remains one of the best boxers in the game, pundits have noted a clear decline over recent years. With a cool $150 million in his bank account following his July match with Mayweather, he just doesn’t really need money anymore. Not only that, but matchmaking options are fairly limited for him at this point.
That, of course, raises the question of who will be Pacquiao’s final opponents. Well, about that…
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