World Boxing Council President Mauricio Sulaiman believes Manny Pacquiao will once again see action in the ring.
Last Saturday night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Pacquiao lost a twelve round unanimous decision to WBA welterweight champion Yordenis Ugas.
The 42-year-old Pacquiao was fighting for the first time in over two years. He saw action back in July of 2019, when he won a twelve round split decision over an unbeaten Keith Thurman.
Although he was competitive against Ugas, the Filipino superstar was only a shadow of the boxer who captured world titles in eight divisions.
Sulaiman would not be surprised if Pacquiao returns to the ring for one more fight.
There is a strong possibility that Pacquiao will enter the presidential race in the Philippines in 2022.
“Manny is legendary. He has specific accomplishments that put him right in the Hall of Fame, with records that will not be broken. This fight from Saturday is difficult to evaluate. It would be unfair to say that this is the real Manny Pacquiao," Sulaiman said to The Mexican Herald.
"We do not know what he will decide: if he enters the race to be the president of his country and retires from boxing, or maybe he will seek that vindication [in the ring]. Two years of inactivity weighs a lot on any boxer, anyone who is out for two years is going to have effects and on top of that they change your opponent ten days before [the fight as well]... it is unfair to evaluate Manny's career based on this last performance," said Sulaiman.
“In my personal opinion, we haven't seen the last of Manny Pacquiao in the ring. He is a true icon of world sport and we wish him every success.”
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