Pacquiao is No.2 at Forbes' Highest Paid Celebs list (Photo : REUTERS)
Filipino boxing champion Manny Pacquiao announced his return to the ring. It is a confirmation that he would not hang his gloves yet, despite pressure from his family that he has established his name in the sport of boxing and ensured their financial future.
The Sarangani Province representative said he would fight again in 2016. That would provide him sufficient healing time for his right shoulder injury, which he sustained while he trained for his match against Floyd Mayweather on May 2 and worsened during the "Fight of the Century."
Pacquiao attributed his loss in a unanimous decision to Mayweather to his injury. However, "Money May" made fun of it in an Instagram post that became viral. He attributed Mayweather's action to the American boxer being an ex-convict and wife beater.
With his announcement, it would mean there would be no rematch between Pacquiao and Mayweather since the American boxer has said his September 12 fight would be his last. Bleacher Report wrote that given Pacquiao's loss to Mayweather, he may not be considered a worthy opponent by Money May to have another ring encounter.
There is also the question if sports fans would still patronize a rematch since many considered the May 2 bout as a waste of their money. The fight, which broke pay-per-view buys records to 4.4 million, and boosted Mayweather's earnings to $235 million and Pacquiao's to $160 million, also resulted in more than 400 lawsuits against Pacquiao.
Even Mayweather has apparently changed strategies with chances of his September 12 last bout being aired for free on CBS, which owns Showtime Sports, rather than sold to PPV viewers.
Meanwhile, Pacquiao, showed his support for Mary Jane Veloso, a Filipina spared the death sentence in Indonesia for drug smuggling. The boxer and his wife prayed with Veloso and gave her money.
