Pacquiao To Run For Presidency, Officially Hanging Up His Gloves

Manny Pacquiao has decided to officially retire from the boxing ring (sadly we won’t be seeing a McGregor fight) and make a run to be the next president in the Philippines.

Pacquiao has juggled two careers for a number of years. He has continued to pursue his boxing career while at the same time being a senator in the Philippine Senate for several years now.

His fights have drawn huge crowds in recent years and his bout with Floyd Mayweather in 2015 created record pay per view numbers and many hoped a rematch would materialise at some point. Pacquiao announced his retirement from boxing with a 14-minute video that was posted to his official Facebook page (shown below).

The 42 year old is ending his 26-year career with an impressive record.

With 72 fights under his belt, he finishes with 62 wins, eight losses, and two draws. He has also won 12 world titles across eight weight divisions, which is an impressive effort and one that will see him go down as one of the best boxers of this generation.

This impressive record is mainly because of his lightning-fast footwork and heavy punches that have made him one of the best offensive fighters in boxing history. Pacquiao is bowing out after a loss from Cuban Yordenis Ugas, who defeated him last month in what will now be his final professional fight.

Some expected Pacquiao to fight one more time and finish on a winning note. However, the timing for his retirement is because Pacquiao is kicking his political career in high gear. He recently announced that he would be running for president during the 2022 Philippine presidential election.

Pacquiao’s political performance has been spotty. He started in 2007 with a failed congress run but managed to win as congressman for the southern Sarangani province in 2010. He stayed on for two terms and then got elected as a senator for six years back in 2016.

Tributes Pour In

Pacquiao received a number of tributes once his retirement broke on social media. The tributes poured in from the boxing community as well as other celebrities and sportstars.

Some of the best tributes include ones from Ryan Garcia, former WBC interim lightweight champion and Sergio Mora, former WBC super-welterweight champion, who once fought on the same undercard as Pacquiao back in 2003. Mora said that fighting on the undercard would be something to boast to his grandkids.

Carl Frampton, a former two-time world champion pointed out how incredible Pacquiao’s achievements were by winning multiple world titles in several weight divisions.