RETIREMENT is perhaps the most abused word in pro boxing.
You can count on the fingers of one hand the number of boxing champions who were able to stick to their retirement vows. In most cases, they ended up lacing on the gloves again upon feeling the boxing itch.
It is never easy for a boxer to just say goodbye and walk away. You are talking about giving up the sport you mastered even before you memorized the alphabet, walking away from all the adulation — and money — that made you feel like, well, the king of the world.
Sen. Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao is on record for being the only king to reign in eight kingdoms. In his last outing, though, Pacquiao looked shopworn against Cuban Yordenis Ugas and the surprise decision loss he suffered instantly spawned retirement talks.
Pacquiao did tell reporters after the Ugas fight that he may never fight again.
Just a few days later, Pacquiao was humming a different tune, telling everybody that he couldn’t believe he lost to Ugas whose fighting style was never that difficult for him to deal with in the past. This is the first sign that the previous retirement talk has as much foundation as a sandcastle: when a fighter initially accepts defeat and then backtracks to insist that he was just caught off-guard.
Pacquiao was back in “retirement” mode recently, telling actress/host Toni Gonzaga in her YouTube program that he is finished with boxing.
“Boxing career ko? Tapos na ang boxing career ko,” he told Gonzaga.
The gullible media treated Pacquiao’s announcement as a confirmation that he is finished with the sport. But few failed to take note of the circumstances surrounding the interview with Gonzaga.
Pacquiao was discussing different topics with Gonzaga and was coming up with one random reply after another. It is possible that his statement on “retirement” just popped out of his head. It would have been different if “retirement” was the sole subject of the interview.
Also, the interview was conducted about the same time Pacquiao formally announced that he was running for president of the country.
Pacquiao, in saying he is finished with boxing, is trying to tell the voting populace that, if elected, he will totally devote himself to the position.
One of the issues Pacquiao is likely to face when he starts his electoral campaign is that he is just a boxer moonlighting as a politician. By telling Gonzaga he is finished with boxing, Pacquiao wants to parry the criticism this early.
Pacquiao actually used the same strategy back in 2015, when he told reporters he was ready to step away from boxing as he announced plans to run for senator.
“I will have to give up the other things that require my attention. If you are a senator, your focus should only be your job and your family,” Pacquiao was quoted as saying back then.
Pacquiao was elected senator but he continued to fight, saying boxing was his livelihood. You are getting that déjà vu tingle, right?
For the record, Pacquiao announced his “retirement” from boxing in April 2016, shortly after he defeated American Tim Bradley. The announcement came a month before the national elections. Pacquiao was elected senator in May 2016 and then returned to boxing six months later against Jessie Vargas.
Predictably, shortly after that interview with Gonzaga, members of Pacquiao’s inner circle started issuing a disclaimer.
Sean Gibbons, the head of Pacquiao’s promotional company, told ESPN that no official decision has been made regarding the ring icon’s retirement.
“After the fight and recently, he’s discussed retiring (or) maybe one more (fight). He’s just talking out loud about different situations,” said Gibbons.
“Until you see it officially come out on his Twitter or Instagram, he isn’t retired. Anything else is just talking about what his thoughts are at the moment.”
Well, I did say Pacquiao was just coming up with random replies during the interview with Gonzaga, right?
Pacquiao’s retirement talk is not sticking thus far. One can readily say that if he loses his bid for the presidency next year, Pacquiao will fight again if only to recoup the huge campaign expenses.
Of course, if Pacquiao ends up becoming president, he may be hard-pressed to fight again given the enormous responsibility attached to the position. But, hey, didn’t trainer Freddie Roach recently say it would be cool to see “President” Pacquiao showing up in the ring to fight for another world title?
