'This could be it': Humbled Pacquiao faces reality

Manny Pacquiao sounded similar a combatant connected his mode retired and a person connected his mode up.

He mightiness person concealed his battered look down large sunglasses, but Pacquiao didn't fell down excuses oregon denial aft a discouraging unanimous-decision nonaccomplishment to Yordenis Ugás connected Saturday night.

Yes, Pacquiao disclosed that his legs cramped passim the combat connected the Vegas Strip, depriving him of the mobility that has ever made his powerfulness truthful dangerous.

The eight-division satellite champion inactive acknowledged the larger information that was evident adjacent to astir of his devoted fans astir the world: He deserved his nonaccomplishment to Ugás, a talented hostile who astir apt wouldn't person been overmuch occupation for premier Pacman.

And that mightiness beryllium a bully crushed to locomotion away.

"This athletics is my passion," Pacquiao said. "That's wherefore I'm inactive present warring astatine the property of 42. I'm enjoying it, but sometimes you person to deliberation astir the effect of your body. ... My mind, my heart, it's 100 per cent. But my legs were cramping."

In the moments aft helium returned from a two-year ringing lack with the nonaccomplishment to the rangy, resilient Ugás, Pacquiao repeatedly hinted helium is readying to discontinue from boxing.

He is inactive alongside Canelo Álvarez arsenic the 2 biggest progressive stars successful the sport, yet Pacquiao (67-8-2) has ne'er spoken truthful frankly astir leaving down 26 years successful the pro combat game.

"I've done a batch for boxing, and boxing has done a batch for me," Pacquiao said. "I look guardant to spending a batch of clip reasoning astir my aboriginal successful boxing."

Pacquiao's postfight comments included a sprinkling of specified catchy, pre-written phrases — benignant of similar a stump code by a politician.

Indeed, the Filipino senator's adjacent combat is astir apt successful the governmental ring: He is wide expected to participate the statesmanlike contention successful the Philippines adjacent period up of the May 2022 election.

"In my heart, I privation to proceed to fight," Pacquiao said. "But the happening is, I besides person to see my body. I've enactment it done a batch of things. Especially backmost successful my country, there's a batch of things that I request to execute to assistance people. I privation to beryllium an inspiration to the Philippine radical wrong and extracurricular the ring."

Countless athletes person struggled mightily to find worthwhile ways to capable their clip aft retirement. That wouldn't beryllium a occupation for Pacquiao: His chaotic beingness won't get little busy, but it could beryllium a spot much focused with lone 1 vocation to consider.

If Pacquiao retires, helium leaves boxing arsenic 1 of the greats of his generation. Along with his stunning array of title belts and his groundbreaking mobility crossed the sport's value classes, Pacquiao volition beryllium remembered for his utter fearlessness successful taking connected countless larger foes without blinking.

Freddie Roach, Pacquiao's devoted trainer for astir of the past 2 decades, acknowledged being "a small worried" astir the champ.

Manny Pacquiao takes a punch from Yordenis Ugas during their WBA welterweight rubric combat astatine T-Mobile Arena (Getty)

"He's boxed for a agelong time, and he's the champion feline I've ever had," Roach said. "The champion guy, the champion fighter. I hatred to spot the time erstwhile helium retires, but this could beryllium it. We'll spot what Manny decides."

Another script seems arsenic plausible astatine this point: Pacquiao doesn't triumph the presidency successful 9 months — helium is down respective candidates successful aboriginal polling — and helium subsequently gets a highly lucrative accidental to instrumentality to the ringing precocious adjacent year, erstwhile helium volition beryllium astir 44.

Manny Pacquiao (L) takes a punch from Yordenis Ugas during their WBA welterweight rubric combat astatine T-Mobile Arena (Getty)

Given Pacquiao's competitory quality and his comparatively costly lifestyle, his self-awareness could beryllium flooded by the rewards of the combat game.

But successful the moments aft this cramping, frustrated large mislaid for the archetypal clip successful 4 years, Pacquiao was reasoning profoundly astir some his existent authorities and aboriginal priorities.

"This concern mightiness decorativeness my vocation successful boxing," Pacquiao said. "But this is my connection to each the boxing fans each implicit the world: The astir important happening is however we tin assistance each other, particularly successful this pandemic."

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