One of the greatest ever to grace the ring will be leaving the sport of boxing this April, as Top Rank CEO Bob Arum said Manny Pacquiao discussed with him his planned retirement after one last fight.
In a report by ESPN, Arum shared that he had dinner with Pacquiao in New York a week ago and they spoke about the Filipino boxing icon hanging the gloves.
"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," Arum said, according to ESPN.
Pacquiao, who is currently a congressman in the Philippines, will be running for a senatorial position in the nation's elections next year.
Arum said the former eight-division champion will need to retire if he becomes a senator to focus on the job since the latter has hopes of becoming a president, and his work at the senate will be an "audition" for the highest position in the country.
"Manny told me this would be his last fight, and I'm not sad about it, because he's going on to a political career which will require a lot of mental acuity, so you don't want him to stay in boxing too long," Arum stated, according to ESPN.
He added, "If he stays in boxing a little too long, his mental faculties might be somewhat impaired."
Pacquiao (57–6–2, 38 KOs) last fought on May 2 when he lost via unanimous decision to pound-for-pound rival Floyd Mayweather Jr. (49–0, 26 KOs).
Potential opponents for the 36-year-old boxer are British top contender Amir Khan; the undefeated Terence Crawford, who stopped Dierry Jean in 10 rounds last Saturday; long-time rival Juan Manuel Marquez; and Timothy Bradley Jr.
Marquez and Bradley faced Pacquiao before and each have one victory against him, while Khan and Crawford will be facing the Filipino slugger for the first time if they get chosen for the April bout.
