Pacquiao has talked about retirement on several occasions in the past but this time it appears he is really talking about it seriously.
“I can no longer stay in boxing for long. About one or two more fights,” Pacquiao said during a live interview Sunday with Pastor Dudley Rutherford . “But I will remain a public servant for as long as I can after retirement. That is one of the legacies I intend to bequeath our people.”
The “one or two fights” that Pacquaio was referring to, could be a possible rematch and a probable trilogy against Floyd Mayweather
While Mayweather has reportedly entertained the idea of not giving Pacquiao a rematch in case he wins on May 2, he may succumb to pressures from the networks (HBO and CBS/Showtime) and from both camps for the huge financial returns that the rematch will bring.
There are other compelling reasons why Pacquiao needs to retire next year. One of them is his plan to run for senator in the upcoming national elections scheduled for May next year.
A senate seat is one of Pacquiao’s necessary hurdles before he could make a successful bid for a higher political position in the 2022 presidential elections.
Pacquiao has admitted in the past that he wants to join the presidential race in 2022 when he would qualify as a candidate. By then, he would already satisfy the constitutional age requirement (at least 40 years old) for a presidential candidate.
To mount a successful campaign for the presidency, Pacquiao needs the senate seat because it has a national constituency which will give him a wider reach as he prepares for a nationwide campaign.
Pacquiao need not look beyond Mayweather for his next opponent. A rematch between him and Mayweather is almost a certainty at this time owing to the huge financial returns the fight will bring.
If Pacquiao loses to Mayweather on May 2 and the unbeaten champ refuses a rematch, Pacquiao may return for the last time this year against a less capable opponent to end his career on a winning mode.
