Manny Pacquiao will have plenty of time to think about his future, including the possibility of retirement from boxing.
As Pacquiao recovers from surgery to repair his torn rotator cuff he suffered during training and got aggravated in his 12-round unanimous decision loss to Floyd Mayweather last May 2 in Las Vegas, the likelihood of hanging up his gloves is among those on the table.
?We might even retire (from boxing),? Pacquiao?s Canadian adviser Mike Koncz said yesterday from Los Angeles. ?He?s been in boxing for a long time and it?s time for him to spend time with his family.?
This early, doctors have ruled out a fight before the year comes to a close since Pacquiao will require at least four months of complete rest and rehabilitation before lacing up on a pair of gloves for training.
Koncz, who began his tenure as adviser in 2005, had even told the 36-year-old Pacquiao that ?whatever happens in this fight (with Mayweather), I think it would be best for you to retire.?
Besides, Koncz feels the two decades of fighting has clearly shown ?wear and tear in his body.?
The prospects of retirement could indeed be considered since Mayweather has said in an interview that he is no longer keen on giving the Filipino southpaw a rematch just days after saying he might give in to the demand for a second meeting.
Told about Mayweather?s desire to meet him, Pacquiao was quick to show some interest as it will be an opportunity for him to redeem himself.
But with the injury bothering him and giving him a little bit of discomfort, Pacquiao expressed more concern about the long process of recovery. ?My concern now is for the injury to heal completely.?
Mayweather?s sudden change of heart stems from Pacquiao?s pronouncements that his injury deeply affected him during the fight although Pacquiao has acknowledged that the unbeaten 38-year-old American was the better man that night at the MGM Grand.
Pacquiao, meanwhile, is leaving Los Angeles on Sunday night and will be touching down in Manila on Tuesday morning on board flag-carrier Philippine Airlines.
At this point in time, Pacquiao, according to Koncz hasn?t really made any concrete plans about fighting again.
Pacquiao remains under contract with Top Rank until the end of 2016.
But boxing is taking a back seat nowadays, noted Koncz, even though there are speculations that Mayweather and Pacquiao might end up tangling anew in mid-2016, just in time for the opening of the 20,000-seat MGM-AEG Arena.
Koncz, however, is not banking on that just yet. Boxing is even the farthest thing in his mind. ?If Manny decides to retire, that would be happiest day of my life.?
Retirement, however is not cast in stone, most especially in boxing. There have been many fighters ? countless Hall of Fame inductees ? who ate their words and returned to the ring.
