Manny Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum has said the Filipino boxer is ready to hang up his gloves after one more fight in 2016 and then make the switch to being a full-time politician.
Arum told the Los Angeles Times on Thursday night that Pacquiao, 36, wants to get on with his Philippines political career and run for a legislative position higher than his current place in the House of Representatives.
“I believe he’ll take one more fight, then run for the Senate in the Philippines,” Arum told the newspaper in a telephone interview from China.
“He could fight twice more, I guess, but it sets up better for him to fight, then run.”
Pacquiao lost a unanimous decision to Floyd Mayweather in Las Vegas four months ago in a fight that Pacquiao fought with a torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder. Pacquiao then underwent surgery after the Mayweather fight which generated a record 4.4 million pay-per-view buys.
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Arum told the Times it is unlikely Pacquiao and Mayweather would fight again.
“From what I’ve heard, Mayweather is retiring,” Arum said. “I guess they could fight again, but many things would have to happen.”
Mayweather has said his next fight against Andre Berto on September 12 in Las Vegas would be his last, but few are taking him seriously after he made the same claim about several of his recent title fights.
There has been talk, however, of Pacquiao taking on former training partner Amir Khan, with the UAE frequently suggested as a host venue.
In May, Arum said: “I just had a delegation in from Dubai trying to talk to me about a Manny Pacquiao fight some time early next year in Dubai.”
Khan, a former two-time light-welterweight world champion, has been trying to organise a fight in the UAE for some time, and the prominent Filipino, Pakistani and British population could make the event extremely popular among fans in the Emirates.
With Mayweather all but out of the question for Khan, a bout with Pacquiao looks the more likely option, a showdown that previously had been suggested if the fight with Mayweather had failed to materialise.
Pacquiao adviser Michael Koncz had said Khan and Manny “would make for a very exciting fight and Manny would be more than happy to do it at Wembley Stadium. We are looking at that possibility and also Abu Dhabi”.
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