Manny Pacquiao announced this week that he is aiming to become the next president of the Philippines, and that also means he is moving on from his boxing career.
Shortly after he revealed he will run for president in his home country, Pacquiao confirmed in an interview with Toni Gonzaga of “Toni Talks” that he is done fighting.
“My boxing career is already over. It’s done because I’ve been in boxing for a long time and my family says that it is enough,” Pacquiao said, as translated by Chisanga Malata of The Sun. “I just continued [to box] because I’m passionate about this sport.”
Pacquiao said he will continue to support other boxers in the Philippines in hopes that the nation will have another champion one day.
Pacquiao, 42, suffered an upset loss to Yordenis Ugas in their fight last month. He said after the fight that he was considering retirement. He is already a senator in the Philippines, so his decision to run for president signaled that he will be focusing solely on politics going forward.
Assuming he is actually done fighting, Pacquiao finishes with a record of 62-8-2 for his career with 39 knockouts. He is the only eight-division champion in boxing history.
