IT’S TIME TO PACQ IT IN!

Your era looks over, Manny

MANNY PACQUIAO will be back in the ring next weekend against Lucas Matthysse, but Old Father Time is his toughest foe as he bids to return to the welterweight elite.

It is 12 months since the Filipino ring legend lost controversially on points to Jeff Horn in Australia.

But you only need to look at how easily Horn was dealt with by American star Terence Crawford earlier this year to measure how Pacquiao’s skills have waned.

There is a chance that Pacquiao against Argentine Matthysse in Kuala Lumpur will be an explosive fight for the regular WBA title.

But an icon of the sport like Pacquiao would have dealt with Matthysse easily when he was in his pomp.

Pacquiao, an eight-weight world champion, is almost 40. He has been a professional since 1995 and during that time he has delivered knockouts, thrills and spellbinding speed aplenty.

He has earned huge sums of money, not least in the richest fight in history against Floyd Mayweather Jnr in 2015.

Generous

Pacquiao has now forged himself a political career in his home country but one that comes at great expense, which might signal why he plans to fight on beyond his 69th career outing.

He is also an extremely generous man, funding housing projects in his homeland. He rarely says no to those in need.

But now might be the time that Pacquiao looks out for No.1 and protects his legacy as one of the great fighters. He enters next week’s bout without LA-based trainer Freddie Roach for the first time in 17 years.

Pacquiao insists he has not closed the door on Roach but it is barely ajar and the American trainer has been hurt by the split.

While ‘Pacman’ had little pop when he lost to Mayweather, citing a shoulder injury for that, he did recover to beat two worldlevel opponents in Timothy Bradley and Jesse Vargas and regain the WBO title.

Arguably he should have retained that against Horn in Brisbane.

But the welterweight landscape has changed, with even old foe Mayweather stepping aside. The talk from Amir Khan last week about facing the great no longer brings the excitement it once did.

Current WBO belt holder Crawford, former WBC and WBA ‘super’ champion Keith Thurman and IBF titlist Errol Spence Jnr are ready to make this their era in the division.

Pacquiao belongs to a previous one.