By Victor Salazar
New York, NY - Manny Pacquiao (57-6-2, 38KOs) played the part of selling his trilogy bout with Timothy Bradley (31-1-1, 13KOs) as his last fight. Whether or not it’s a selling point for the fight or the actual truth, Pacquiao expressed to reporters that he's being serious about retirement.
The trilogy bout takes place on April 9th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. HBO Pay-Per-View will carry the event.
Paquiao is gearing up for a full-time career in politics. The Filipino star is running for a senate seat in the Philippines.
“It’s sad to say that this is my last fight with Tim Bradley,” Pacquiao said. “It’s sad to say that after this I’m going to retire and hang up my gloves and focus on another big responsibility in life and that’s to help other people in my country of the Philippines.
Pacquiao expressed no regrets because he never dreamed that he would reach the superstar level that he currently holds as an athlete.
“I want my career to end in a good way, not like other fighters in the wrong way, but in the right way,” explained Pacquiao. “I never dreamed in my imagination to accomplish what I did in boxing, an eight division world champion. I never thought this before. God has my purpose. He raised me from something to nothing because now I can help other people.”
Pacquiao explained how boxing helped his family, which now allows him to move forward with the next stage of his life.
“I remember when I first started boxing, I didn’t know boxing. I boxed because I wanted to help my family and my mother. That’s how I know boxing. Now I end my boxing career helping the Filipino people. So this is it, don’t miss it because this is my last fight and you’ll never see me fight again,” Pacquiao said.
