adminManny Pacquiao says he is close to making a decision on whether to retire from boxing.The Filipino, 36, returned to his home country yesterday following defeat by Floyd Mayweather in their world welterweight super-fight on May 2. “I will focus on healing my shoulder. After that, I’ll announce continuing my career or retirement,” he said.
“I’m not saying I’m going to retire, but it’s near. I’m already 36, turning 37 this December.”
Despite a unanimous points defeat in Las Vegas, Pacquiao, a six-weight world champion, was welcomed back to the Philippines by fans as he paraded through the streets of capital city Manila on the back of a truck.
Pacquiao, who is also a congressman in his home country, had his arm supported by a sling following surgery on his injured shoulder — a problem he said had hampered him during the fight with Mayweather, the most lucrative in boxing history.
New figures released by American networks Showtime and HBO said the fight shattered the previous record for total pay-per-view buys with 4.4 million purchases of the fight in the United States alone.
That generated $400m (£254m) in domestic sales while total revenue is expected to exceed $500m (£318m).
Following the fight, Mayweather, 38, called Pacquiao a “sore loser” and has ruled out a rematch.
But Pacquiao, who is the subject of a Nevada lawsuit after being accused of failing to declare his injury prior to the bout, said he would consider fighting the undefeated American again. “I [would] like that. I want that. But my focus right now is my shoulder, my work as a congressman and my family,” he said.
Pacquiao also said he had accepted his defeat by Mayweather, but that after reviewing the fight on video he still believed he won by a slim margin.
“I reviewed the fight and kept score. I won by two points, but a decision has been made and we’ve to accept it,” he added. — Dailymail.
Online Reporter