Wednesday, September 29, 2021

Philippine boxing champion Manny Pacquiao retires, sets sights on presidency

Issued on: 29/09/2021 -
Manny Pacquiao raises his hands during a national convention of his PDP-Laban party in Quezon city, Philippines, on September 19, 2021. 
© Manny Pacquiao MediaComms, via AP

The eight-division world champion and Philippines senator on Wednesday announced his retirement from the ring,

“As I hang up my boxing gloves, I would like to thank the whole world, especially the Filipino people for supporting Manny Pacquiao. Goodbye boxing,” the 42-year old said in a 14-minute video posted on his Facebook page. “It is difficult for me to accept that my time as a boxer is over. Today I am announcing my retirement.”

Pacquiao finished his 26-year, 72-fight career with 62 wins, eight losses and two draws. Of those 62 wins, 39 were by knockout and 23 by decision. He won 12 world titles and is the only fighter in history to win titles in eight different weight classes .

His retirement from boxing followed a disheartening defeat to Yordenis Ugas in Paradise, Nevada on Aug. 21. The younger Cuban boxer, who defected to the United States in 2010, beat Pacquiao by unanimous decision, retaining his WBA welterweight title. It was Pacquiao’s first fight in more than two years.

“Thank you for changing my life, when my family was desperate, you gave us hope, you gave me the chance to fight my way out of poverty,” Pacquiao said in the video. “Because of you, I was able to inspire people all over the world. Because of you I have been given the courage to change more lives. I will never forget what I have done and accomplished in my life that I can’t imagine. I just heard the final bell. The boxing is over. “

Presidential aspirations


Pacquaio had hinted at retirement recently. It also had been expected because he is setting his sights on a bigger political battlefield. Earlier this month, he accepted his political party’s nomination and declared that that he will run for Philippines president in the May 2022 elections.

He has accused the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte, his former ally, of making corruption worse in the Philippines. He promised to fight poverty and warned corrupt politicians they will soon end in jail.

Pacquiao’s rags-to-riches life story and legendary career brought honor to his Southeast Asian nation, where he is known by his monikers Pacman, People’s Champ and National Fist.

He left his impoverished home in the southern Philippines as a teenager and stowed away on a ship bound for Manila. He made his professional boxing debut as a junior flyweight in 1995, at the age of 16, fighting his way out of abject poverty to become one of the world’s highest-paid athletes.

Eddie Banaag, a 79-year-old retiree, said Pacquiao was his idol as a boxer and he watched almost all of his fights. But he believes the boxing icon should have retired earlier.

“He should have done that right after his victory over (Keith) Thurman,” Banaag said of Pacquiao’s win over Thurman on July 20, 2019 in Las Vegas, Pacquiao’s second-last fight. “It would have been better if he ended his boxing career with a win rather than a loss.”

(AP)

Manny Pacquiao: Philippine icon, boxer... next president?


Issued on: 29/09/2021 - 
Philippine great Manny Pacquiao has announced his retirement from boxing 
Mohd RASFAN AFP/File

Manila (AFP)

Manny Pacquiao, who said on Wednesday that he is retiring from boxing at 42, is idolised by many in the Philippines both for his punching power and rise from poverty to the peak of world sport.

Now the man known at home as "The National Fist" wants to be his country's next president, vowing to tackle corruption and help the poor as he seeks to win over voters with his rags-to-riches story.

After two terms as a congressman and one as a senator, his ambition is not unrealistic in a country famed for its celebrity-obsessed politics.

Pacquiao dropped out of high school at 14, sold doughnuts on the roadside and became a grocery stacker to help his mother support two younger siblings.

Known at home as 'The National Fist', Manny Pacquiao now wants to be the next president of the Philippines
 Mohd RASFAN AFP/File

Within a few years, the diminutive southpaw was a pro boxer.

In the ring, he is a volume power puncher who uses lightning footwork to create angles with which to deliver flurries, the likes of which have felled Oscar de la Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Miguel Cotto, Erik Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera.

He became an eight-division world champion and one of the best boxers ever, but age was catching up with him.

In what turned out to be his last professional fight, "Pacman" lost against Cuban Yordenis Ugas in Las Vegas last month -- the eighth defeat of a glittering career spanning more than two decades.

Manny Pacquiao is now aiming to win over voters in the Philippines with his rags-to-riches story 
Apu Gomes AFP/File

Boxing bought him fame, power, influence and wealth, and with it, the vices: booze, gambling, cockfighting and romantic links to beautiful film stars that at one point nearly wrecked his marriage.

But in 2012, Pacquiao, now a father of five, found religion and left his playboy lifestyle behind.

Pacquiao has also served as a celebrity endorser for products ranging from appliances to pizza and cars, hosted TV shows, starred in movies and had an improbable stint as a professional basketball player and coach.

Fans see Manny Pacquiao as living proof that success is possible for anyone who works hard, but critics accuse the high-school dropout of lacking intellect 
John Gurzinski AFP/File

He launched a professional basketball league in 2017 and founded his own cryptocurrency, the "PAC Token".

Known for his generosity and common touch, he has given away huge amounts of money to friends, supporters and the poor.

He is known for accommodating his fans, letting them watch his training sessions.

- Next step: the presidency? -


Victory in next year's presidential election is far from assured.

Fans see Pacquiao as living proof that success is possible for anyone who works hard, no matter their origins.

Manny Pacquiao is considered one of the greatest boxers of all time 
John GURZINSKI AFP/File

But critics accuse the high-school dropout of lacking intellect and being a frequent no-show in the senate, raising questions about his ability to run the country of 110 million people.

Less than a year out from the elections, Pacquiao has risked political capital in a public joust with President Rodrigo Duterte, who rivals the boxer for the affections of many Filipinos and previously mentioned him as a possible successor.

A fervent evangelical Christian, Pacquiao has publicly opposed divorce, abortion and contraceptives, and has compared gay couples to animals -- a slur that cost him a sponsorship deal with sportswear giant Nike.

© 2021 AFP

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