The Filipino boxing sensation, Manny Pacquiao, is set to retire by next year. Following the declaration, PacMan and his crew confirmed that his next match will be the last on in his career as a sportsman. The said final boxing bout featuring Pacquiao will be on April 9, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Needless to say, the search for his last foe in the ring has been an exciting journey.
"I'm telling you what he told me last week at dinner in New York," Bob Arum earlier shared in confirmation of Pacquiao's retirement plans, according to ESPN. He added, "We talked very seriously, and he said, 'Bob, hopefully, by the middle of May I will have been elected senator in the Philippines, and at that point I cannot engage in boxing because I need to focus on the senate and I have to be in attendance.' Manny told me this fight on April 9 will be his last fight."
According to Arum, the Filipino boxer's last opponent will be announced on Friday (December 11). The Top Rank promoter shared via ESPN that the details of the April 2016 bout will be disclosed in San Juan, Puerto Rico. This is the same venue that will feature Felix Verdejo and Nonito Donaire is separate fights on the same night. The Puerto Rico match, which will highlight the lightweight star and the former four-division champ, can be witnessed thru the truTV-televised card of Top Rank. The Venejo and Donaire matches will be on by 10 pm ET.
Initially, the said information was scheduled to be released last Friday (December 4). However, the said deadline was not followed. Arum stated that the announcement this Friday has been confirmed by Michael Koncz, Pacquiao's adviser. Thus far, three names have dominated the final foe list of Pacquiao: Amir Khan, Terrence Crawford and Timothy Bradley.
"My deal with Manny is that after I have my conversations with all the likely contenders, I go to Manny and [adviser] Michael [Koncz] and lay everything out and let them pick who Manny wants to fight," further shared Arum. The promoter said, "I gather information, I explain to them the details of each deal, and if they ask my opinion I give them my opinion."
Among Khan, Crawford and Bradley, however, sports analysts believe that the last one will make the cut. Pacquiao already faced Bradley twice in the past, and both boxers managed to dominate the other in the two bouts. At 1-1, the Bradley-Pacquiao trilogy is reportedly set to continue April 9. However, no official confirmation has been provided by either camp.
For his part, though, Bradley is excited to face once again Pacquiao. Monica Bradley, the wife of the purported final foe of Pacquiao, disclosed with the Los Angeles Times that her team is in contact with Top Rank. She shared, "Tim's very excited - more about this one than either of the others before. With a new trainer, it'll be a whole different Tim Bradley. Teddy has done so much for Tim. People might think they've seen the best Tim Bradley. They haven't yet."
