Manny Pacquiao
A rematch between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. appears next to impossible, not only because "Money May" has opted to retire. On Thursday, the Filipino champ also confirmed he would retire in 2016 after his last professional fight.
Pacquiao cited his running for higher office, from congressman to senator, next year as the reason behind his decision to hang up his gloves permanently. The legislator has been criticized for his absenteeism as congressman of Sarangani province because of his training and bouts.
He confirmed to ESPN his retirement plan while in Doha, Qatar, watching the AIBA World Championship. However, the southpaw clarifies that the reason behind his retirement is not lack of passion for the sport which has catapulted him and his family from poverty to the richest congressman in the Philippines.
But AFP reports that he is renegotiating a rematch with Mayweather, although it may not be as profitable for both boxers in terms of guaranteed purses and pay-per-view buys due to their disappointing performance in the "Fight of the Century" on May 2.
Pacquiao, who even before he forayed into politics has used part of his prize money to help the poor in his hometown General Santos City, said concentrating on politics would allow him to help people using a different platform. Before he run for Congress, Pacquiao - who finished only high school - took a crash course in public administration to prepare for a lawmaker's life.
He identifies British boxer Amir Khan as the most feasible for his last fight, which he wants to hold in Doha instead of The Venetian in Macau or The MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Pacquiao says he has no preference for his next opponent whom he wants to fight before the May national elections.
Looking back, after more than 50 fights with just five losses, Pacquiao names his bouts against Oscar de la Hoya, Miguel Cotto, Juan Manuel Marquez, Ricky Hatton and Mayweather as among his most memorable fights. Now 36, Pacquiao acknowledges that "boxing took me to some great places, opened many doors for me, enabled me to become a congressman, to be the champion of the people."
Although his performance as congressman has not been outstanding due to his absences, given the tendency of Filipino voters to select leaders who are popular, Pacquiao has good chances of winning a seat in the Senate. In the coming years, there would likely be more clamor for him to run for higher office. While his lack of college education would surely be used against him by opponents, those who support Pacquiao would cite his wealth as a reason to vote for him since he would not be tempted to steal public funds, as many Filipino politicians do once in office, since he has a lot of his own money and has become a born-again Christian.
