Is Manny Pacquiao close to retiring?

After two years of absence in the ring, the Filipino boxer returned to a fight to delight the public with his impeccable style at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, where he faced a last-minute rival after his original opponent, American Errol Spence Jr., retired due to injury.

His new opponent was the 35-year-old Cuban boxer Yordenis Ugás, who has held 30 professional fights, of which he won 26 and lost only 4, with a cumulative 12 knockouts in favor and none against. The Caribbean came to the fight with bets 4 to 1 in favor of his rival, the great “Pacman” Pacquiao, with a long history in the world of boxing with 42 years of age, 1.66 m. tall and 146 pounds.

However, Ugás, 1.75 m. tall and 147 pounds, was dominant in the fight with his jab and impeccable punches, winning by unanimous decision on all three scorecards 115-113, 116-112 and 116-112 .

After his defeat, the Filipino boxer announced that despite being his passion, the public may not see him fighting in the ring again. He even recognized that his body did not respond in the best way in the competition, presenting cramps in his legs that prevented him from moving with agility as he used to in his best times.

Manny Pacquiao, nicknamed the "Pacman" by the initials of his name, is the only boxer in history to have won titles in eight different categories, including six of world recognition . Since 2010 he has served as a senator of his country and it is possible that his next contest will be in the political arena, since the boxer could aspire to the presidency in the May 2022 elections .

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The Filipino fighter debuted as a professional boxer in 1995, there are already 26 years of career in which he has had great victories and in which he has achieved a record of 62 fights won (39 of them by knockout), 8 losses and 2 draws. Although he earned titles early in his career, it wasn't until 2003 that Pacquiao made his name when he beat Mexican idol Marco Antonio Barrera by knockout. Since then he began to reap his most notable victories.

In 2019, the Filipino racked up some wins, defeating boxers like Adrien Broner and Keith Thurman , before seeing the loss in his most recent fight against Ugás, in which he lost with dignity and in which the public witnessed that time does not forgive. Many think that the Asian should retire, but they agree that he must do it through the front door, raising his arms in the victory sign as boxing legends do.