Manny Pacquiao, only eight division champion in boxing history, announces his retirement

Manny Pacquiao, one of the greatest boxers of all time, announced his retirement on Tuesday night, three months before his 43rd birthday and one month after a decisive loss to Yordenis Ugas.

The only eight division champion in boxing history, Pacquiao won his first title at 108 pounds and also won a title at 154 pounds. He will be best remembered for his 2015 bout with income-breaking Floyd Mayweather; a thrilling quartet of fights with his biggest rival, Juan Manuel Marquez; and a meteoric rise through the 2000s, evidenced by spectacular knockouts of notable fighters no matter how much he climbed in weight.

“Even I am amazed at what I did,” Pacquiao said in the 14-minute-plus retirement video he posted to social media. “The only boxer to hold world titles in four different decades and became the oldest boxer to win a welterweight world title – an incredible accomplishment.

“It’s hard for me to accept that my time as a boxer is over,” he added. “Today I am announcing my retirement. I never thought that this day would come. As I hang up my boxing gloves, I want to thank the whole world, especially the Filipino people, for their support of Manny Pacquiao. “

A sitting Philippine senator, Pacquiao recently announced that he would run in the May presidential election against outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte.

Pacquiao (62-8-2, 39 KOs) was set to face Unified Welterweight Champion Errol Spence Jr. last month in a super fight, but after his opponent suffered a detached retina, “Pacman” fought Ugas on notice. of 11 days.

Currently ranked No.6 by ESPN at 147 pounds, Pacquiao was the favorite to beat Ugas, but it clearly wasn’t the same fighter who rose to stardom. The blazing speed was gone, as were the awkward angles Pacquiao used to deliver his hard-hitting shots that scored so many brutal knockouts.

But for all the violence he’s shown in the ring, Pacquiao has always been gentle and caring on the outside, a smile on his face almost all the time, and a great philanthropist in the Philippines, where he remains an icon.

Pacquiao’s incredible resume includes wins over Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, Marquez, Miguel Cotto, Antonio Margarito, Ricky Hatton, Timothy Bradley and most recently Keith Thurman. This latest victory made Pacquiao the oldest welterweight champion of all time at almost 41 years old, the last big performance from one of the best lace-up gloves.

His biggest win of all was undoubtedly his 2008 loss to Oscar De La Hoya, the victory that truly turned him into a superstar. The eighth-round TKO was a hell of a blow from the opening bell and was Pacquiao’s debut in welterweight, the division where he found his greatest commercial success.

Pacquiao was the rare athlete to transcend boxing, touring the talk show circuit at the height of his career. Several of his fights generated over a million pay-per-view purchases. The fight with Mayweather sold about 4.6 million units; the previous record was 2.4 million set by Mayweather’s victory over De La Hoya.

He won hundreds of millions during his career and conquered five halls of farmers. Pacquiao’s union with Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach, a partnership developed at the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood, Calif., Is one of the most iconic fighter-trainer couples of all time.

“Bye, boxing. Thank you for changing my life,” Pacquiao said. “You have given me the chance to find a way out of poverty. Thanks to you, I have been able to inspire people all over the world. Thanks to you, I have had the courage to change more lives.

“I will never forget what I have done and accomplished in my life. I cannot imagine that I just heard the final bell.”