Pacquiao hints he’ll continue his boxing career

MANILA, Philippines – Manny Pacquiao gave a window into his thought process about his future, saying he’ll hang up his gloves only when he’s ready to do so.

“I love this sport and until the passion is gone, I will continue to fight for God, my family, my fans and my country,” Pacquiao wrote on Wednesday, July 12.

I love this sport and until the passion is gone, I will continue to fight for God, my family, my fans and my country. pic.twitter.com/mcfegAOSIi

— Manny Pacquiao (@mannypacquiao) July 12, 2017

Pacquiao (59-7-2, 38 knockouts) is coming off a bloody unanimous decision loss to Jeff Horn in Brisbane, Australia, and has been resting in his hometown of General Santos City as he contemplates his future.

The 38-year-old boxer – a 22-year ring veteran – had said that he would “think hard” about retirement, while trainer Freddie Roach and promoter Bob Arum have said he should stop fighting if his Senate work is hindering his fighting ability.

“If he is going to fight this guy again, he should train seriously hard and figure out what went wrong in the first fight. But if his Senate duties will affect his training, then he should retire,” Arum said to the Manila Times.

“(I hope) it is an intelligent decision.”

There is a rematch clause for the fight, and Arum told the Manila Bulletin that Pacquiao “can make a lot of money” in a second fight with the younger Horn, with November or December being possibilities. Arum also dismissed claims that this was Pacquiao’s last fight under contract with Top Rank, saying the promotional deal runs through mid-2018.

Roach told Sports Illustrated that “Manny wasn’t himself,” in the fight against Horn, his fourth loss in his last 9 fights. “He didn’t look like the Manny Pacquiao I’ve known for a long time.”

Pacquiao released a statement Tuesday following the World Boxing Organization’s review of the judging, which reinforced the decision loss to Horn by a margin of 3-1-1.

“Let the people judge for themselves. People saw what happened,” said Pacquiao in a statement. “We have seen worse judgments in the past where judges manipulated results. Nothing surprises me now.” – Rappler.com