EIGHT-DIVISION world champion Manny Pacquiao is fighting for more than just a World Boxing Organization-manufactured belt or the $20 million guaranteed purse when he faces Timothy “Desert Storm” Bradley for the third time at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Sunday (Manila time).
He is battling to strengthen his bid for a senatorial seat in the May presidential elections and realizes that a loss would be disastrous for his political aspirations.
Currently in the Top 10 in most surveys, Pacquiao can’t afford any slip-ups, which is indicated by the fact that he has trained possibly harder than ever for the Bradley showdown.
Sky Sports in London reported that the 11-month absence from boxing following last year’s defeat to Floyd Mayweather has left him hungrier than ever as he prepares for his farewell fight against Tim Bradley .
The 37-year-old Filipino insisted he will retire from boxing after the third installment of his rivalry with Bradley, vowing to focus on a political career in his homeland, where he is seeking election to the Senate.
But there are many who believe, including longtime trainer Freddie Roach that should Pacquiao win impressively, as he expects, then a rematch with Floyd Mayweather Jr. or a clash with unbeaten junior welterweight champion Terence Crawford, appears likely.
While Pacquiao has carefully kept a door ajar to extending his career, he told reporters at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Wednesday that he views Saturday’s bout as an opportunity to sign off in style.
“It’s really important for me to win this fight, to win convincingly. It’s part of my legacy,” Pacquiao said.
Asked if he still retained the killer instinct, which helped him win an unprecedented eight world titles at eight different weight classes, Pacquiao said his long absence had served to renew his enthusiasm for the ring.
“I still have that. I rested almost one year and when I started training for this fight, I felt fresh and hungry again, like I did when I first started boxing. It’s been good for me. It’s good that I had a long layoff. I still have that desire. I love boxing. Boxing is my passion. I grew up on boxing. I started when I was 12 years old, non-stop, until now,” he said.
Pacquiao’s long-time trainer Freddie Roach said he had questioned whether retirement talk could prove a distraction.
“I thought it might be, but training camp was great, it was just like every other training camp. Manny maybe worked a little harder and said ‘Let’s go out with a bang’ and that’s what we intend on doing,” said Roach.
