Manny Pacquiao announces retirement from boxing

By KIKO ROSARIO Associated Press

MANILA, Philippines — Boxing fable Manny Pacquiao is officially hanging up his gloves.

The eight-division satellite champion and Philippines legislator connected Wednesday announced his status from the ring, 3 months shy of his 43rd day

“I would similar to convey the full world, particularly the Filipino radical for supporting Manny Pacquiao. Goodbye boxing,” helium said successful a 14-minute video posted connected his Facebook page. “It is hard for maine to judge that my clip arsenic a boxer is over. Today I americium announcing my retirement.”

Pacquiao finished his 26-year, 72-fight vocation with 62 wins, 8 losses and 2 draws. Of those 62 wins, 39 were by knockout and 23 by decision. He won 12 satellite titles and is the lone combatant successful past to triumph titles successful 8 antithetic value classes.

His status from boxing followed a disheartening decision to Yordenis Ugas successful Paradise, Nevada connected Aug. 21. The younger Cuban boxer, who defected to the United States successful 2010, bushed Pacquiao by unanimous decision, retaining his WBA welterweight title. It was Pacquiao’s archetypal combat successful much than 2 years.

“Thank you for changing my life, erstwhile my household was desperate, you gave america hope, you gave maine the accidental to combat my mode retired of poverty,” Pacquiao said successful the video. “Because of you, I was capable to animate radical each implicit the world. Because of you, I person been fixed the courageousness to alteration much lives. I volition ne'er hide what I person done and accomplished successful my beingness that I can’t imagine. I conscionable heard the last bell. The boxing is over.”

Pacquaio had hinted astatine status recently. It besides had been expected due to the fact that helium is mounting his sights connected a bigger governmental battlefield. Earlier this month, helium accepted his governmental party’s information and declared that helium volition tally for Philippines president successful the May 2022 elections.

He has accused the medication of President Rodrigo Duterte, his erstwhile ally, of making corruption worse successful the Philippines. He promised to combat poorness and warned corrupt politicians they volition soon extremity up successful jail.

Pacquiao’s rags-to-riches beingness communicative and legendary vocation brought grant to his Southeast Asian nation, wherever helium is known by his monikers Pacman, People’s Champ and National Fist.

He near his impoverished location successful the confederate Philippines arsenic a teen and stowed distant connected a vessel bound for Manila. He made his nonrecreational boxing debut arsenic a inferior flyweight successful 1995, astatine the property of 16, warring his mode retired of abject poorness to go 1 of the world’s highest-paid athletes.

Eddie Banaag, a 79-year-old retiree, said Pacquiao was his idol arsenic a boxer and helium watched astir each of his fights. But helium believes the boxing icon should person retired earlier.

“He should person done that close aft his triumph implicit (Keith) Thurman,” Banaag said of Pacquiao’s triumph implicit Thurman connected July 20, 2019 successful Las Vegas, Pacquiao’s second-to-last fight. “It would person been amended if helium ended his boxing vocation with a triumph alternatively than a loss.”