Manny Pacquiao: Why He Shouldn't Retire After Facing Tim Bradley in June

Manny Pacquiao had been toying with the idea of hanging ‘em up prior to locking horns with Timothy Bradley. However, now that the fight is in the books and his WBO title was controversially ripped from his grasp, any notions of retirement should be firmly put to bed.

And as things stand, that just happens to be the case as “Pac-Man” and “Desert Storm” are scheduled for a rematch in the not-too-distant future following a ruling by the WBO, stating the Filipino native was indeed the victor that night.

This is what Pacquiao had to say about the rematch:

“My supporters shouldn't worry. We're going to get that title.”

However, if the Sarangani congressman hadn’t reneged on his original idea of retiring after the Bradley fight, he’d have lived to regret it.

Firstly, albeit the Bradley fight has now been ruled in his favor, his sobriquet as the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter (Pacquiao no longer holds that distinction) in the world would’ve been highly debateable.

A rematch coupled with a redeeming victory would’ve silenced any  critics.

Secondly, a rematch with Miguel Cotto or a fourth encounter with his boxing nemesis Juan Manuel Marquez is on the cards if he so pleases.

Thirdly, there’s money to acquire—dollars and cents. Even though he’s a multimillionaire, it still makes sense to accumulate as much as possible given the amount of people he supports financially, not to mention funding his political aspirations.

And finally, apropos who is boxing’s pound-for-pound overlord, there’s still that small or big matter of Floyd Mayweather, who currently resides in the Las Vegas Clark County Detention Center.

Realistically speaking, could Pacquiao in all honesty contemplate retirement without having faced off against “Money May”—the one man who will (if victorious) cement his legacy as an all-time great? If that transpired, career suicide would loom large.

Still, the bottom line is Pacquiao isn’t retiring just yet. First stop, a rematch with Bradley, and then we’ll get a clearer picture as to where the eight-division titlist is at.

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