
His last two fights may be lopsided but they exacted such a big toll on Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao that he’s taking a long break from boxing.
Of course, we all know that he’s running for Congress in Saranggani, but even after his fate has been decided on May 10 he won’t train for at least four months.
At 31, Pacquiao is at his peak, but slowly he’s feeling the rigors of extensive training and the sting of the cumulative punches thrown by bigger opponents in the welterweight division where he reigns.
Sure, he forced Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto into reversed gear for the last five rounds before finally stopping him in the 12th last November 14.
Sure, he turned Ghanaian Joshua Clottey into a punching bag en route to a unanimous decision win last Saturday at the grand $1.2 billion Coboys Stadium in Arlinton, Texas.
Still, it was no picnic throwing 1,231 punches in 36 minutes. Even if all of them miss an ordinary mortal will get ***ged out.
What more if 246 of them land on the solid jaw or rib cage of Clottey, who’s a tough dude but nevertheless put on a defensive, survival mode by the pound-for-pound king.
The impact of those punches put undue strain on his fists, which have been ****ing mitts, heavy bags and human bodies for more than 15 years.
“I’ll let my body rest for a while,” Pacquiao told GMA’s Chino Trinidad in Filipino Tuesday in Los Angeles, where the world’s only seven-time champion in as many divisions are relaxing with wife Jinkee.
Pacquiao had earlier admitted to Filipino sportswriters that his last two fights were harder than expected; even his well-chiseled, well-conditioned body needs to recuperate.
With the cancellation of his concert in Honolulu, Hawaii, this weekend, Pacquiao moved his departure from Los Angeles to Thursday. He is expected to arrive in Manila early Saturday morning.
According to Jake Joson, Pacquiao’s chief of staff, upon arrival at the NAIA Pacquiao will be given the traditional arrival honors after which he will proceed to New World Hotel for breakfast.
There are activities lined up, such as motorcades and guest appearance, but they will need Pacquiao’s final approval.
What’s certain is the grand launching of Pacquiao’s candidacy, which will take place on March 26 in Sarangani.
Also on the planning stages for Pacquiao is a guest appearance in a fight card in Dubai featuring his younger brother Bobby and other fighters from Cebu’s ALA stable.
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