If it were up to Manny Pacquiao to decide, he would rather not have his eldest son Jimuel follow in his footsteps as a boxer.

But the Filipino boxing icon could not help but concede as Jimuel stood firm in his desire to pursue boxing.

In fact, Jimuel – who accompanied his father in the United States for Manny’s recent title clash against Yordenis Ugas – decided to stay in California to train at the famed Wild Card Gym.

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Jimuel, who already has a couple of bouts under his belt, is reportedly gearing up for a fight against YouTuber Boy Tapang.

“Kung ako tatanungin mo, ayaw ko, kasi hindi ko kayang panoorin ‘yung anak kong lumalaban,” the elder Pacquiao said in a Rappler Talk interview on Monday, September 6.

(If you ask me, I wouldn’t want him to become a boxer because I can’t stand watching my son fight.)

“Kaya lang sa tuwing sinasabi ko sa kanya, binabalik niya, ‘Daddy ‘di ba, boxing is your passion? Same with me, like you, boxing is my passion also. So what are we going to do?’ Tameme ako, hindi ako makapagsalita.”

(But when I tell him about it, he tells me, “Daddy, boxing is your passion, right? Same with me, like you, boxing is my passion also. So what are we going to do?” I become speechless.)

Aside from boxing, the 20-year-old Jimuel also dabbles in acting as he recently starred in the iWantTFC digital series Click Like Share alongside ABS-CBN actor Seth Fedelin.

If Jimuel decides to take boxing seriously, the Pacquiao patriarch has a few pieces of advice for him.

“Sabi ko, alam mo, ‘yung boxing, hindi lang ito training, kung hindi hard work. Kailangan dedication, focus – mentally, physically, and spiritually,” he said.

(I told him boxing is not just training, but hard work. You need to have dedication, focus – mentally, physically, and spiritually.)

Manny only has one request for Jimuel.

“Sabi ko amateur lang muna, ‘wag professional,” Manny said with a laugh.

(I told him to remain in the amateur ranks for now, and to not turn professional.) – Rappler.com