Philippine boxing great Manny Pacquiao has opened the door to a lucrative rematch with Floyd Mayweather Jr, saying he still intends to retire after his next fight, but that a comeback is possible.
The 37-year-old last month announced that his upcoming bout against American Timothy Bradley would be his last so he could concentrate on Philippine politics.
However, following a high-energy training session in his hometown of General Santos, Pacquiao said he was loving the sport as much as ever and he could not rule out fighting again.
“It’s hard to say right now,” Pacquiao, who has won world titles in an unprecedented eight weight divisions, said in an interview when asked about retirement. “I made my decision already that after this fight I [will] retire, but I am not saying that, you know, boxing is closed to me. You never know.”
Pacquiao made the comments when asked if a chance to avenge his crushing loss to US nemesis Mayweather last year would lure him out of retirement.
That fight shattered boxing revenue records, generating 4.5 million pay-per-view purchases and US$600 million in gross revenue.
It capped a phenomenal rise for Pacquiao, whose journey from street kid to mega-rich athlete is a source of hope and inspiration for tens of millions of poor Filipinos. Until this week, Pacquiao had insisted repeatedly that he was very happy to be giving up the sport to pursue politics and his goal of fighting poverty in the Philippines.
Pacquiao, a two-term congressman, is looking to win a Philippine Senate seat in May elections, and his campaign is already underway.
Pacquiao spoke at length on Tuesday about his political aspirations — including the prospect of becoming president.
And he repeated that, at this point, his intention was to retire from boxing after fighting Bradley for the third time in Las Vegas on April 9.
However, Pacquiao also indicated he wasn’t sure his retirement would be permanent, twice using the term: “You never know.”
He also insisted he remained as physically capable in the ring as a decade ago.
“I don’t feel different compared [with] when I was 27, 25,” Pacquiao said. “I am still the same because I discipline myself. Even if I don’t have a fight and I am not in training, I always exercise every day.”
Pacquiao aggravated a shoulder injury in the Mayweather bout and underwent surgery five days later.
He said his shoulder had recovered and he was in “100 percent” condition to take on Bradley.
After overseeing training on Monday, long-time American trainer Freddie Roach also said he suspected Pacquiao would be tempted back into the ring if he beats Bradley.
“I’ll go along with him right now because he is running for senator,” Roach said, when asked if he believed Pacquiao genuinely intended to retire.
“But there’s always that side of me that sees Senator Pacquiao [fight again]. Because he likes that, he loves stuff like that,” Roach said.
Pacquiao is on track to win one of 12 Senate seats in the elections, according to recent surveys, with his sporting heroics largely responsible for his political popularity.
However, success is not guaranteed.
Pacquiao has been heavily criticized by some in the Philippines for a dismal attendance record as a congressman that they say highlights a lack of political conviction.
Pacquiao, an evangelical Protestant, also apologized via social media on Tuesday after saying on the campaign trail that homosexuals were “worse than animals.”
SSC Napoli will have to wait one more week to seal the Serie A title after on Sunday being held to a goalless draw at Parma, while closest rivals Inter drew 2-2 in a dramatic game with SS Lazio. Antonio Conte’s team stayed one point ahead of Inter and were unfortunate not to win after twice striking the woodwork through Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Matteo Politano, while Scott McTominay also had a free-kick tipped onto the crossbar. The away side thought they would be handed a chance to take the points from the penalty spot in the 96th minute when David Neres
Omar Marmoush’s stunning long-range strike on Tuesday upstaged Kevin de Bruyne on the Manchester City great’s Etihad farewell. Marmoush let fly from about 30m to put City ahead in their 3-1 win against AFC Bournemouth in the Premier League. The victory moved Pep Guardiola’s team up to third in the standings and left qualification for the UEFA Champions League in their own hands heading into the last round of the season. “It’s really important. To be in the Champions League after what happened [this season] will be really nice,” the City manager said. De Bruyne was making his final home appearance for City before
Brighton & Hove Albion’s Jack Hinshelwood on Monday sealed a dramatic 3-2 victory against Liverpool to leave the English Premier League champions without a win since clinching the title. Arne Slot’s side took the lead through Harvey Elliott’s early opener before Yasin Ayari equalized at the American Express Stadium. Dominik Szoboszlai restored Liverpool’s advantage just before halftime, but Brighton staged a late fightback as Kaoru Mitoma leveled before Hinshelwood came off the bench to net with his first touch. Liverpool have taken just one point from their three matches following the title-clinching rout of Tottenham Hotspur on April 27. The Reds have lost at
Logan O’Hoppe, Taylor Ward and Matthew Lugo homered, and the Los Angeles Angels spoiled Clayton Kershaw’s season debut, beating the Los Angeles Dodgers 11-9 on Saturday night to take the first two games of the three-game series. Kershaw allowed three runs and threw 38 pitches in the first inning. The three-time National League Cy Young Award winner lasted four innings, giving up five runs on five hits with three walks and two strikeouts. Shoulder, toe and knee injuries limited Kershaw to seven games last season, and his 2025 debut was delayed as he recovered from multiple offseason surgeries. O’Hoppe had two hits with
RSS