Boxing great Pacquiao announces retirement from ring
MANILA, Philippines — Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao is officially hanging up his gloves.
The eight-division world champion and Philippine senator on Wednesday announced his retirement from the ring.
“I would like to thank the whole world, especially the Filipino people, for supporting Manny Pacquiao. Goodbye boxing,” the 42-year-old said in a video posted on his Facebook page. “It is difficult for me to accept that my time as a boxer is over. Today I am announcing my retirement.”
Pacquiao finished his 26-year, 72-fight career with 62wins, eight losses and two draws. Of those 62 wins, 39were by knockout and 23 by decision. He won 12world titles and is the only fighter in history to win titles in eight different weight classes.
His retirement from boxing followed a disheartening defeat to Yordenis Ugas in Paradise, Nevada, on Aug. 21. The younger Cuban boxer beat Pacquiao by unanimous decision, retaining his WBA welterweight title. It was Pacquiao’s first fight in more than two years.
“Thank you for changing my life. When my family was desperate, you gave us hope, you gave me the chance to fight my way out of poverty,” Pacquiao said in the video. “Because of you, I was able to inspire people all over the world. Because of you I have been given the courage to change more lives.”
Pacquaio had hinted at retirement recently. It had also been expected because he is setting his sights on a bigger political battlefield. Earlier this month, he accepted his political party’s nomination and declared he will run for Philippines president in elections next May.
Bears move closer to leaving Soldier Field
CHICAGO — The Chicago Bears took a major step toward moving out of their longtime home at Soldier Field — one of the most recognizable stadiums in the United States — and into the suburbs by signing a purchase agreement for Arlington Park about 30miles northwest of the city.
“We are excited to have executed a Purchase and Sale Agreement for the Arlington Park property,” Bears President and CEO Ted Phillips said in a statement Wednesday. “Much work remains to be completed including working closely with the Village of Arlington Heights and surrounding communities, before we can close on this transaction.”
Churchill Downs Incorporated, which owns the property officially known as Arlington International Racecourse, announced that the sale price was $197.2million.
At a press briefing, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said she will “do what I can to keep (the Bears) here in the city of Chicago and I don’t think the door has closed by any means.”
But she said she first needs to hear from the team, saying Bears officials have declined to meet with her office, most recently as Tuesday when the team canceled a planned meeting with city officials.
“The bottom line is they’ve got to come to the table,” she said.
Lightfoot, who said the city is prepared to work out a deal that maximizes revenue for both the team and the city, also made clear that if the Bears do decide to move, the price tag of the land in
Arlington Heights may not be the only thing the Bears pay for.
“I know they’ve got a contract with us that runs through 2033 and as I told (team chairman) George McCaskey, I’m not about breaking that contract, and if they want to get out of it early, they’re going to have to pay us for it.”
The statement released by the Bears does not include any mention of how the team plans to finance a stadium or how much a new stadium would cost, but Lightfoot pointed out that the two newest NFL stadiums — the home of the Las Vegas Raiders and the stadium shared by the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers — were both “$4billion-$5billion ventures.”
The Bears, who have played at the lakefront stadium since 1971 after moving from Wrigley Field, have raised the possibility of moving over the years. One big factor is that the stadium, which is owned by the Chicago Park District, holds fewer fans — 61,500— than any other stadium in the NFL.
In those years, the Bears have watched other teams leave their homes for new, shiny ones — some outside the cities, and even the state, where they spent decades. The New York Giants and the New York Jets now play in New Jersey, the Rams have bounced from Los Angeles to St. Louis and back again, and Las Vegas is only the latest home of the Raiders, who have moved from Oakland to Los Angeles, back to Oakland and now Las Vegas.