Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. are not going to fight again, according to Pacquiao’s longtime promoter.
It has been widely reported that Pacquiao has won a senate seat in his home country of the Philippines, with the official results set to be announced next week. After he beat Timothy Bradley last month, Pacquiao said his boxing future would be determined by the election. On Tuesday, Bob Arum told ESPN.com’s Dan Rafael that he believes Pacquiao is done with fighting.
“My feeling is that he’s been elected to a very, very important position in the Filipino government,” Arum said. “So he owes an obligation to the people to work on his government responsibilities, and that doesn’t give him time to screw around and train for a fight the way he has to. You can’t do that.”
As Arum notes, Pacquiao has been a congressman in the Philippines for two terms. However, there are more than 400 congressmen in the nation. Pacquiao will now have far more responsibility.
Does that mean the 37-year-old won’t be tempted to return to the ring to collect the type of purse a rematch against Mayweather would offer?
“My mindset is that it’s over,” Arum added. “When it’s over, it’s over. People say fighters always change their minds, but this is a different situation. If a guy like Sugar Ray Leonard retires and two months later decides to come back because he’s bored, he can do that. Manny can’t do that, because he has plenty to do and an important job.”
Unlike Pacquiao, Mayweather is not running for political office. Instead, he’s trying to convince people that he could possibly come out of retirement for a match against this popular MMA fighter. But Pacquiao-Mayweather II? Probably not happening.
