LAS VEGAS ? Those who know him say Manny Pacquiao never watches boxing at home. He defeated Timothy Bradley Jr. in April, promptly announced his retirement and figured he was done with boxing for good.
In July, though, he turned his television on and watched a couple of fights. In September, he saw Gennady Golovkin?s fifth-round stoppage of Kell Brook in a middleweight title fight and realized he?d made a mistake.
He didn?t want to be retired. He still loved to train, to compete, to test how far he could push himself.
?I felt lonely inside because I was no longer active in the sport,? he said.
And so, in a sport known for short retirements, Pacquiao?s was one of the shortest. He announced that he still wanted to pursue a boxing career despite being elected to the Philippines Senate in May.
He admitted at the time that because he gives away so much money, he couldn?t afford to do the charitable work he loves on a politician?s salary, so coming back was attractive from a financial standpoint.
He?s back and will challenge WBO champion Jessie Vargas in the main event of a quality pay-per-view show for the welterweight title at the Thomas & Mack Center on the UNLV campus.
This is no ordinary comeback, however. And while he needs the money to fund his good works, it?s not solely for financial reasons. He loves the sport and realized he was still good at it.
?I thought about it over and over, and I decided that I can still fight,? Pacquiao said. ?I still have the speed, power and hunger, so why not continue?
?? I told [my family]. I explained it to them and they understand. Boxing is my passion. I grew in boxing, so why not let me fight again??
He?s come back with a desire that he hasn?t shown in years and despite extraordinarily long days combining his day job with his training, he has by all accounts had a great training camp.
?It?s like we?re seeing the young Manny again,? promoter Bob Arum said.
Pacquiao?s Hall of Fame trainer, Freddie Roach, has advised many a fighter when it is time to retire, and said that because of the tight personal bond he has with Pacquiao, he?d be the first to tell him to hang it up if he felt Pacquiao was putting himself at risk.
In April, when Pacquiao announced his retirement, Roach said he felt Pacquiao had a few more fights left in him.
And this week, as Roach reflected on the most unusual training camp of his career with Pacquiao, he could think of nothing bad to say.
?When Manny Pacquiao walks through my gym doors, it?s all boxing,? Roach said. ?He?s 100 percent there. He definitely has the best work ethic I?ve ever seen in boxing. He still has that. Every day in the Philippines, we had a great training camp. A couple of days, he was real, real tired. We started at 10 p.m. and I called it a day and let him have the day off because I thought it was the best thing at that time.
?Sparring, everything went really well. The mitt work was really good. I?ve noticed Manny has been a little more ferocious in his sparring and has looked really good. I?ve never been injured by Manny or any fighter from working mitts and so forth, but my left shoulder is shot right now and it?s because of Manny Pacquiao. He?s punching harder than he ever has, and he?s as good as he was the first day I ever met him.?
Pacquiao will face Vargas in a bid to reclaim the WBO belt he gave up when he retired. In more than 15 years of covering his fights, I?ve never heard him boast, but his achievements mean a lot to him.
This comeback, though, is also about him defining himself as a man, and a politician, as much as a fighter. He?ll be remembered as one of the great fighters of our time, no matter what he does in the remainder of his career. He?s the living, breathing definition of a legend.
