Pacquiao will hang up his gloves after last fight in April 2016

One of the sport’s legends will retire next year

Founder and CEO of Top Rank Bob Arum has stated that Manny Pacquiao will lace up his boxing gloves for the final time on April 9^th of next year. The impresario of the boxing promotion that manages “Pacman”, among other big names, said that Pacquiao will focus on his political career in the Philippines after retirement.

Sports Illustrated reports that Arum told ESPN, “I’m telling you what he told me last week at dinner in New York. We talked very seriously and he said, ‘Bob, hopefully, by the middle of May I will have been elected senator in the Philippines and at that point I cannot engage in boxing because I need to focus on the senate and I have to be in attendance.’”

According to Arum, Pacquiao told him that the reason behind the move is to get as much momentum as possible for his senatorial campaign, with a long-term view of the Filippino Presidential elections.

Prudently echoing what Pacquiao’s previous opponent Floyd Mayweather said during his retirement, Arum said, “Manny told me this would be his last fight and I’m not sad about it because he’s going on to a political career which will require a lot of mental acuity, so you don’t want him to stay in boxing too long. If he stays in boxing a little too long his mental faculties might be somewhat impaired.”

Pacquiao is convalescing after tearing his right rotator cuff during the celebrated match against Floyd Mayweather. Despite being injured during the match, Pacquiao continued in a losing effort. The match broke a plethora of records, including Pay Per View viewership records in the United States, with 4.4 million buys and over $410 million in revenue.

There is much speculation over who Pacquiao’s next opponent will be, and the probables are Amir Khan, Terence Crawford, Kell Brook and Lucas Mathysse. Rumours are rife but there a definite statement has not been made.

Pacquiao is the sport’s first and only eight-division champion, having won eight titles and four lineal championships. Courtesy his fight with Mayweather, Pacquiao was the second highest athlete of 2015.

The thirty-six-year old is a member of the Philippines House of Representatives from the province of Sarangani and owns a team, the MP Hotel Warriors in the PBA Developmental League.