Whispers too loud for ‘Pac’ to retire. Now

Even that 12-round defeat in 2015 to Floyd Mayweather Jr. was terribly humbling. That is why the loud, un-careless, whisper is for Pacquiao to retire. Now.

Manny Pacquiao ditching his rematch with Jeff Horn this year could only mean two things.

One, it is obvious that Horn isn’t Pacquiao’s top priority anymore—at least for now.

Two, it seems also obvious that Pacquiao has given more weight to his Senate duties than his boxing career.

But on record, the Pacquiao-Horn return about isn’t totally off. It has been penciled for 2018, possibly in the first quarter.

The postponement became inevitable after Pacquiao said he was going China in November. The rematch was originally scheduled for Nov. 12.

Pacquiao is set to join a Senate Team in November for government-to-government talks in Beijing.

Almost immediately after Pacquiao’s loss to Horn on July 2, Pacquiao cried for a rematch.

Pacquiao remains unconvinced of his defeat despite a review committee’s ruling upholding Horn’s unanimous decision victory.

But in the heat of fight negotiations touching also on Manila possibly replacing Brisbane as rematch venue, Pacquiao suddenly cancelled a 2017 rematch.

Does it mean Pacquiao now gives more importance to his Senate chores than his boxing which, if truth be told, is now on the wane anyways?

Since Pacquiao’s humiliating sixth-round knockout loss to Juan Manuel Marquez in 2012, virtually all of Pacquiao’s succeeding fights were mostly lackluster.

Even that 12-round defeat in 2015 to Floyd Mayweather Jr. was terribly humbling.

That is why the loud, un-careless, whisper is for Pac- quiao to retire. Now.

(Best wishes to Earl Quiseo and Anne Entienza, who will tie the knot on Sept. 7 at San Pedro Calungsod Church along SRP (South Road Properties) in Cebu City. Time flies as I was the godfather when Anne’s parents, Tony and Lorna, got married several decades back, also in Cebu. Assistant coach Dayong Mendoza of San Miguel Beer is godfather to Earl and Anne. Dayong will be paired with Leeann. Leeann is Tony’s sister; they are Dayong’s first cousins. Dayong’s mother, the writer-journalist Sol F. Juvida, is the sister of the mother of Leeann and Tony. We are a closely-knit clan so that everybody will be there, including Dante and Ching Fernandez—Ching being Sol’s sister. Here’s to family!...Lastly, thank you to Toyota Cebu’s Dodo Cuenco for his kindness. May his tribe increase.)