Manny Pacquiao smiles during a workout Wednesday, April 15, 2015, in Los Angeles. Pacquiao is scheduled to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. in a welterweight boxing match in Las Vegas on May 2. AP
Mark your calendars: April 9 could very well be Manny Pacquiao’s final fight.
The Sarangani Representative, who is seeking a Senate seat in the May elections, said that the latest installment in his trilogy against Timothy Bradley will be his curtain call from the world of professional boxing.
As per Philboxing.com, Pacquiao (57-6-2, 32 KOs) refuted earlier reports of him holding out his retirement plans until he gets a second bout against Floyd Mayweather Jr. by standing firm that his fight against Bradley (33-1-1, 13 KOs) at MGM Grand Garden Arena would be his last.
READ: Pacquiao sure to get $20M for April 9 fight
“After my fight on April 9th, I’m going to retire from boxing,” said Pacquiao, who just turned 37 last month. “My April 9 fight against Timothy Bradley will be my last. I’m retiring from boxing to focus on my new job.”
PhilBoxing.com also ran the story that quoted Pacquiao in saying won’t retire until he lands a rematch with Mayweather, who beat him via unanimous decision last May in the sport’s most lucrative fight.
“I never said that. Nobody spoke to me about that,” Pacquiao said.
READ: Pacquiao wants to end career with another Mayweather fight—report
Pacquiao has been out of action since losing to Mayweather and spent the rest of the year recovering from shoulder surgery after tearing his rotator cuff ahead of the $500 million megafight.
Mayweather, on the other hand, went on to win his 49th bout in lopsided fashion at the expense of Andre Berto last September before announcing his retirement.
Top Rank boss Bob Arum, meanwhile, isn’t going to bill Pacquiao-Bradley III as the farewell fight for the Filipino ring icon.
“I don’t want to say that. I’m not going to sell it as that because I don’t want everybody to say, ‘Hey, it’s his last fight, come and see it!’ and then it turns out that it’s not his last fight,” said the longtime promoter.
“Who the hell knows with these guys? They all change their minds so I’m not selling it as his last fight. He says it’s his last fight but who the hell knows?”