Pacquiao uncertain of future after Ugás fight

Even Manny Pacquiao is uncertain whether his 26-year professional boxing career is ending Saturday night when he faces Yordenis Ugás for the WBA welterweight title.

Pacquiao has plans and ambitions reaching far beyond the fight game at this point in his wild life, and that’s why he might be saying goodbye at T-mobile Arena. If he enters the presidential race in his native Philippines a few weeks after this bout, as nearly everyone expects, he will be running for a job that would effectively prevent him from fighting.

While the 42-year-old Pacquiao has said nothing official, his fans around the globe realize it’s at least one of the final chapters in a boxing story with few equals.

“I never imagined what I would have accomplished in boxing from the beginning of my career leading up to now,” Pacquiao said. “I went from nothing to something in order to be an inspiration for people both inside and outside of the ring.”

Pacquiao (62-7-2, 39 KOS) is returning to the ring after a two-year absence — the longest of his career — to fight for another world title in front of a big Vegas crowd and a pay-per-view audience. He is a solid favorite to beat Ugás (26-4, 12 KOS).

In the next few weeks, almost everyone in the Philippines expects him to declare his candidacy ahead of the May 2022 presidential election.

NFL: Cardinals 11-time Pro Bowl receiver Larry Fitzgerald says he currently doesn’t have the desire to play an 18th NFL season, though he left the possibility open that he might resume his career. In an interview on Siriusxm Radio with Jim Gray on Mad Dog Sports Radio, Fitzgerald said he’s currently focused on being a radio broadcaster.