PACQUIAO: I CAN STILL FIGHT
THE writing on the wall says retirement is a better option, but reading fighting senator Manny Pacquiao between the lines, quitting is nowhere in the transcript, even by context.
“I can still fight the good fight,” said Pacquiao on Sunday.
Pacquiao gave Businessmirror a call from his North Laurel BLVD residence in Los Angeles, California, as he and his family prepared to head for the airport to board a Philippine Airlines flight for home.
The 42-year-old ring icon said he has yet to decide if he would go for one more fight, challenge [Yordenis] Ugás for a rematch or retire from the sport that made him famous for good.
“I still have that competitive nature inside of me for more than 20 years. I can still fight competitively despite my age, he said. “I don’t have any problem with my body, but I haven’t decided yet if I will go for it [last fight].”
Pacquiao is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Cuban Ugás, who kept his World Boxing Association welterweight title in the duel two weekends ago at the
T-mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
“I’m still in the planning stage,” Pacquiao said.
His battle scars could be gone by the time his plane lands in Manila on Monday, particularly his eyes which suffered the most from Ugás’s jabs and orthodox rights.
Pacquiao’s inner circle, however, are against a rematch with Ugás.
“I don’t like a rematch if you’ll ask me honestly. It will be a dangerous fight for the senator,” Pacquiao’s long-time associate, Us-based Filipino Greg Asuncion, said. “Remember, the Cuban just wanted to win by points because he respected Manny a lot. But in the second fight, it will be different and we don’t know what may happen because Ugás will be better prepared by then.”
“At his age, the senator still performed well in that fight despite the result but I’m against a rematch,” Asuncion added.
Sean Gibbons, president of Pacquiao’s boxing outfit MP Promotions is also against a rematch, saying both fighters have
contradicting style.
Pacquiao admitted he overtrained a week before the August 21 (August 22 in Manila) fight. He hit the University of Nevada, Las Vegas track a day before weigh-in, proof that he wanted to build on stamina only to find out at fight night that that didn’t work. “I could absolutely dominate him [Ugás] because he’s not moving, but I couldn’t move sideways because of tightness in my legs,” Pacquiao said. “I didn’t expect that to happen. I didn’t [estimate] my training routine properly, I sprinted a lot on the last day of my training.” Pacquiao and his family and staff will be quarantined for 10 days at the Conrad Hotel in Pasay City. After that, he said he’ll buckle down to work as a senator. “I will do what I usually do—help my fellow Filipinos all over the country especially the Covid-19 victims,” Pacquiao said. “I am still thankful also to the overwhelming support of the fans around the world for more than two decades. They are still there.”
He again said that he’ll announce his decision to run for president in May’s general elections next month.
Ugás, a 2008 Beijing Olympics bronze medalist, improved to 27-4 win-loss record with 12 knockouts, while Pacquiao dropped to 67-8-2 win-loss-draw with 39 knockouts.