Manny Pacquiao did not need anybody telling him that it’s coming to an end until it finally is.
The final year of Manny Pacquiao’s illustrious professional boxing career was far from any other fighter his age.
Following his decisive win over Keith Thurman, the “Pac-Man” became the biggest draw in the welterweight division with younger champions such as Errol Spence Jr., Terence Crawford and Shawn Porter all hoping to win the Pacquiao fight sweepstake.
Months went by and there had been a lot of back and forth hoopla courtesy of the aforementioned fighters but the pandemic halted all the proposed Pacquiao superfights.
As for Pacquiao’s confidence level, it didn’t subside one bit. In fact, at 42, he was even open to meeting UFC star Conor McGregor inside the squared circle.
“They’re my options, but right now I want to experience fighting an MMA [mixed martial artist],” he told Business Mirror last year, referring to McGregor.
Some may argue but McGregor wasn’t really the best fight for Pacquiao at the time. However, it would’ve been one of the wildest fights in the Filipino boxer’s career.
It didn’t take long before Pacquiao finally got slated for a welterweight showdown against Errol Spence Jr., an unbeaten champ who have just recovered from a horrific car crash that saw him incurring serious injuries.
As expected, Pacquiao was still brimming with confidence leading to the Spence fight, at one point assessing:
“Spence is slower than [Keith] Thurman, but it’s going to be a good fight,” Pacquiao said. “I think Spence lost a step from the accident.”
Unfortunately, Spence had to withdraw from the fight due to an eye problem and Cuba’s Yordenis Ugas quickly stepped in as a replacement.
Ugas, who is evidently not as big as Pacquiao and Spence, was written off by a lot of boxing fans. However, the Cuban shocked everybody and gave the world’s only eight-division titlist one of the most painful 36 minutes of his life.
Contrary to what was expected, Pacquiao succumbed to Ugas’ youth and powerful right hand and lost via unanimous decision.
Speaking after his devastating defeat, Pacquiao was still in disbelief and insisted that if it wasn’t for some leg problem, he would’ve thumped Ugas.
“In my entire career, Ugas was one of the easiest opponents,” Pacquiao told The Athletic. “[Ugas] only had one style, and I should've been able to easily move away … you've seen how I have moved in my fights before. I couldn't move in this fight. My legs just … stopped.”
“I can come back in January. I will see about it,” he vowed. “I know I can rematch him if I want. I will think about it because I can't believe that one of the easiest opponents I ever faced did that.”
Weeks have passed and rumors swirled that Pacquiao was already considering making his return in either December or January next year.
To the greatest fans and the greatest sport in the world, thank you! Thank you for all the wonderful memories. This is the hardest decision I’ve ever made, but I’m at peace with it. Chase your dreams, work hard, and watch what happens. Good bye boxing. https://t.co/Bde4wO82sA
— Manny Pacquiao (@MannyPacquiao) September 29, 2021
Sadly, a moment of realization or the thirst to serve his country prompted Pacquiao to finally hang his gloves and say, “Good bye boxing.”
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