THERE were mixed signals in the last 48 hours coming from the camp of Sen. Manny Pacquiao, who declared last week that he would run for president, on his possible retirement from professional boxing.
The confusion arose after Pacquiao told a vlogger last Sunday that he would quit boxing as he seeks the country’s highest office.
“Boxing career ko, tapos na ‘yung boxing career ko,” Pacquiao said when asked if he was hanging up his gloves.
Asked to confirm that pronouncement, he replied: “Tapos na. Kasi, matagal na rin ako sa pagbo-boxing, at ‘yung pamilya ko, laging nagsasabi, tama na. Nagtuloy-tuloy lang ako kasi passionate ako dito sa sport na ‘to. Magsu-support na lang ako ng mga boksingero para magkaroon tayo ng champion ulit.”
The fighting lawmaker gave the interview nearly two months after absorbing a stunning loss to Cuban Yordenis Ugas, who retained his World Boxing Association welterweight crown with a unanimous decision over his fancied Filipino rival last Aug. 21 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Although hinting at retirement during the post-match press briefing after the setback that left his face badly battered with cuts in both eyes that needed stitching, Pacquiao made a 180-degree turn a few days later, saying he could not believe he lost to the unheralded Ugas and wanted a rematch.
But there seemed to be a note of finality in his interview last Sunday, which MP Promotions chief Sean Gibbons tried to dispel in separate interviews with Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports and Jake Donovan of boxingscene.com yesterday.
“Just talked to MP Promotions president Sean Gibbons on Manny Pacquiao’s alleged retirement. He said that ‘the senator is a presidential candidate and has made no decision on his boxing career yet,’” Iole tweeted.
In his last tweet over the issue, Iole quoted a Pacquiao confidant in Manila, who declined to be identified, as saying that “no, he (Pacquiao) hasn’t announced his retirement from boxing.”
“There is nothing 100 percent set that (Pacquiao) is done with boxing,” Gibbons told Donovan in a story posted on the boxingscene.com website yesterday. “He will make a decision in October. (For now), he is just discussion maybe or maybe not. Nothing official.”
Pacquiao, who accepted the nomination as the standard-bearer of the PDP-Laban faction led by Sen. Koko Pimentel, is expected to file his certificate of candidacy on or before the Oct. 9 deadline.
The campaign period for national posts in next year’s polls is 90 days, from Feb. 7 to May 8.
