The Philippine boxing champion announces he is retiring from the ring as he decides to run for office in upcoming election to be the next president in his home country.
- Sep 30, 2021
AceShowbiz - Manny Pacquiao is walking away from the boxing ring a week after announcing his plans to become the next president of the Philippines.
The revered former champ took to Twitter on Tuesday night (28Sep21) to confirm he's retiring from the sport for good.
In an emotional video posted to the social media page he thanked his family, friends, trainers and fans, revealing, "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... Thank you for changing my life."
Pacquiao dominated boxing from the late 1990s and picked up an impressive 12 world titles at eight weight divisions, beating the likes of Keith Thurman, Shane Mosley, and Oscar De La Hoya in classic fights.
Manny lost his most-recent fight against Cuba's Yordenis Ugas and subsequently suggested he was ready to walk away from the sport.
He finished his 26-year, 72-fight career with 62 wins, eight losses and two draws. Of those 62 wins, 39 were by knockout.
Last week (20Jun21), the 42-year-old announced he had accepted the nomination of the PDP-Laban faction to run for president in his native Philippines ahead of the elections in May, 2022.
Manny wrote on Twitter, "I boldly accept the challenge of running as PRESIDENT of the Philippines. We need progress. We need to win against poverty. We need government to serve our people with integrity, compassion and transparency. The time is now. I am ready to rise to the challenge of leadership."
Manny currently serves as a Senator in the country and he has been an outspoken critic of President Rodrigo Duterte.
