Manny Pacquiao with Freddy Roach
Source: Wikipedia
Boxing is not a calling that’s known for particularly long careers, but Manny Pacquiao hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down any time soon.
In his first fight since turning 40 — and his first on American soil since 2016 — Pacquiao soundly defeated the 29-year-old Adrien Broner by unanimous decision at the MGM Grand on January 19. This victory brings his record to an impressive 61-7-2 — and could possibly pave the way to giving the star a chance to avenge the most famous of those 7 losses.
What has Manny Pacquiao been up to since his 2015 fight against Floyd Mayweather?
Although Pacquiao’s post-dream match bouts haven’t necessarily attracted a large amount of attention outside of the boxing community, he has been consistently competing — and performing well — since losing to his fellow pugilistic superstar, Floyd Mayweather Jr., on May 2, 2015 in Vegas.
He returned to the MGM Grand to defeat Timothy Bradley Jr. the following April and picked up another win in Vegas against Jessie Vargas in November 2016. 2017 saw him lose to Jeff Horn in Australia in a controversial unanimous decision, but Pacquiao promised he wasn’t done just yet. “I love this sport and until the passion is gone, I will continue to fight for God, my family, my fans and my country,” he said.
He came back from that loss to score a TKO over Lucas Martin Matthysse in Kuala Lumpur in 2018.
What happened in Manny Pacquiao’s fight against Adrien Broner on January 19, 2019?
Pacquiao, the clear favorite going into his match, scored a sound unanimous decision victory over Broner to retain his secondary World Boxing Association welterweight title. “Using aggression and quickness, Pacquiao outclassed the reticent Broner, who sat back in an attempt to counter, but threw hardly any punches, and landed even fewer,” CBS Sports’ Jack Maloney wrote of the fight.
“I really don’t believe that my career is over,” the boxer said in his post-fight interview. “I proved it in my last fight against Matthysse and now I prove it again at the age of 40. So Manny Pacquiao’s journey still continues.”
What’s next for Manny Pacquiao? Will he have a rematch with Floyd Mayweather?
ESPN’s Dan Rafael lays out a convincing case for a number of strong options for the boxer, including a rematch against Horn, in his article “Manny possibilities: Five options for Pacquiao’s next fight.”
After the fight, though, Pacquiao introduced a different name into the mix: “Money” Mayweather. “My message is I’m still active, and if [Mayweather] goes back to the ring and wants to challenge me, I’m a champion. Get back to the ring and we will fight again if he wants,” he said. “If he wants to come out of retirement, then announce it and challenge me. I’m a champion and I don’t pick any opponent. I’m just waiting to see who will challenge me, who will challenge for my belt.”
The odds of this still highly anticipated rematch actually happening are anyone’s guess. Mayweather officially retired in 2017, but he doesn’t seem to be done with the spotlight just yet. He infamously won a three-round boxing rules exhibition bout against Japanese kickboxing star Tenshin Nasukawa at Rizin 14 in Japan on December 31, 2018. (Conor McGregor, never one to turn down a chance to put on a spectacle, has now challenged Nasukawa to a match.) But Pacquiao’s latest win is proof that he deserves another shot. And if Mayweather wants to take on that challenge, the world is still interested in seeing how a rematch will play out between these two giants of the sweet science.
Is Manny Pacquiao injured?
There was some concern that the fighter may have suffered a serious injury after his latest match, but that speculation appears to be overblown at best. On January 21, the New York Daily News reported that the boxer could be facing a “potentially devastating detached retina,” leading to fears that his career might be over. A spokesperson for Pacquaio quickly assured the Los Angeles Times that “he is fine,” though. He was out enjoying a Lakers game later that night.
In an intriguing coincidence, so was Mayweather.
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