LAS VEGAS, USA - Manny Pacquiao was non-committal when asked if his decision to retire would stick in the aftermath of his unanimous decision victory over Timothy Bradley Jr at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Saturday, April 9 (US time).
Pacquiao (58-6-2, 38 knockouts), who announced before the fight that this would be the final bout of his 21-year career as he focuses on his political career, said he felt rejuvenated as a fighter after 11 months out of the ring.
Pacquiao, a two-term congressman, is running for a seat in the Philippine Senate in the general elections on May 9.
"My heart is 50-50. But I love my family, I honor my family, my kids," said Pacquiao.
"Right now, my decision is to retire.
"Let me enjoy first a retired life," Pacquiao added. "I'm not there yet, so I don't know what it feels like. But I made a commitment to my family. I made my decision."
{source}<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9QVHwH-5ztA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>{/source}
Pacquiao, who was fighting for the first time since losing a decision to Floyd Mayweather Jr in May of 2015, said his surgically repaired right shoulder felt fine in the fight as he scored knockdowns in rounds 7 and 9 to cement the victory.
{source}<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0FUEsneEhFw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>{/source}
Few at the MGM Grand felt it was time for the 37-year-old boxer to walk away, including trainer Freddie Roach and Timothy Bradley.
"No, Manny Pacquiao shouldn’t retire," said Bradley, who dropped to 33-2-1 (13 KOs) with the defeat, for which he earned $4 million.
"We've had a great 15 years together. If he retires, I'll be happy for him. That's kind of up to him," said Roach, who named WBO junior welterweight titleholder Terence Crawford as his ideal opponent should Pacquiao decide to fight on.
Pacquiao's promoter Bob Arum declined to speculate on Pacquiao's future as a fighter, taking the 8-division champion at his word regarding retirement.
"As far as I’m concerned, until I hear differently, Manny Pacquiao has retired from the sport of boxing," said Arum, who had previously said he supported Pacquiao's decision to walk away from the sport
Among those impressed by Pacquiao's performance was Juan Manuel Marquez, who fought Pacquiao 4 times between 2004-2012.
"He looked great. He looked with speed, with power, with hunger. I saw the last Pacquiao, maybe from 3 years ago," said Marquez. – Rappler.com