MANILA – After being countered by his aides a week ago, Filipino ring icon Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao announced his retirement from boxing after 26 years.
The 42-year-old Pacquiao told Cebu-based sports writer Emmanuel Villaruel on Tuesday that his retirement decision is official.
“Retire na. Dili nako mo-away. Ok pa ako Iihok pero tama na. Dugay na pud ko sa boksing,” said the eight-division world boxing champion.
Actually, Pacquiao already announced that he is moving away from the sport during his guesting at the Toni Talks online show of actress/host Toni Gonzaga only to be countered by some of his aides.
“Boxing career ko? Tapos na ’yung boxing career ko,” he said. “Tapos na. Kasi matagal na din ako sa pagbo-boxing. ‘Yung pamilya ko laging sinasabi tama na.”
It was definitely a storied boxing career for Pacquiao, which started when he scored a four-round unanimous decision win over Edmund Enting Ignacio in January 1995 at Sablayan.
He continued to dominate his subsequent battles, eventually winning world titles at flyweight, super bantamweight, super featherweight, lightweight, super lightweight, welterweight, super welterweight, and bantamweight.
Along the way, he defeated fellow boxing legends such as Oscar dela Hoya, Marco Antonio Barrera, Eric Morales, Juan Manuel Marquez, Miguel Cotto, Shane Mosley, Antonio Margarito, Oscar Larios, Ricky Hatton, Timothy Bradley, Adrien Broner, and Keith Thurman.
Pacquiao also lost to American fighter Floyd Mayweather Jr., Jeff Horn, and Cuban Yordenis Ugas.
He currently has 62 wins (39 by way of stoppages), eight losses, and two draws./PN
