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LAS VEGAS. — The pictures, as they tend to do, told a thousand words.
As he sat on his stool before the 12th round, Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao looked like a spent force.
His right eye was swollen. His left eye was bleeding.
And as much or more than those two factors, he simply looked like an old, tired fighter.
Even as his corner team tried to coax him. Even as the crowd in the T-Mobile Arena tried to inspire him. And even as he knew what the scorecards were probably about to tell him.
There was simply nothing left to give.
At least not the level to which he’s accustomed.
Faced with the imposing blend of his own faulty body and a talented, motivated short-notice foe across the ring, the Filipino’s 42-year-old best wasn’t nearly good enough to hold serve as he dropped a narrow, but hard-to-dispute decision to Yordenis Ugas atop a Saturday night pay-per-view show in Las Vegas.
Two judges gave Ugas eight of 12 rounds. A third gave him seven.
And no one who’d watched the entire 36 minutes seemed to have any real contrarian argument.
Not the broadcast team comprised of fighters, trainers and talking heads. Not the majority of the hyper-partisan pro-Pacquiao fans. And not Pacquiao himself, who instinctively raised his hands at the final bell but seemed resigned to the inevitable long before Jimmy Lennon Jr. made it official.
“I’m so thankful to the fans. I’m sorry that we lost tonight, but I did my best,” he said, as a respectful Ugas sneaked in for a quick post-fight hug. “That’s boxing, and I congratulate my opponent for winning.”
Pacquiao plans to take his time before deciding on his future but admitted on Saturday he may not return to the ring after his upset defeat to Ugas.
The 42-year-old Filipino boxing superstar indicated he now planned to turn his attention to his political career in the Philippines in the wake of a unanimous points defeat to Ugas.
“In the future you may not see Manny Pacquiao fight in the ring,” Pacquiao said. “I don’t know. “I’ve done a lot for boxing and boxing has done a lot for me. I look forward to spending time with my family and thinking about my future in boxing.”
If Saturday’s loss was Pacquiao’s final fight, it marks the end of a glittering 26-year professional career that has already ensured the Filipino will go down as one of the all-time greats. Against Ugas on Saturday however, age finally appeared to have caught up with Pacquiao as he was outboxed and outfoxed by a skilful, younger opponent.
Although Ugas said he would be willing to give Pacquiao a rematch, it is hard to see how a second fight would pan out any differently.
Beyond that, other, younger fighters in the welterweight division such as Errol Spence Jr. and Terence Crawford are likely to be even more dangerous for the veteran Filipino.
“In my heart I want to continue fighting,” Pacquiao said.
“But the thing is I have to consider also my body.”
Pacquiao is now expected to turn his attention to his political career. Already a Philippines Senator, Pacquiao is believed to be mulling a presidential bid.
“There’s a lot of things that I need to accomplish to help people and that’s my mission,” Pacquiao said. — AFP.
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