Pacquiao weeps, eyes retirement

GENERAL SANTOS CITY, Philippines – Manny Pacquiao wept and hinted at retirement during Bible service in Brisbane Sunday evening, just hours after he lost his WBO crown but not his pride to Jeff Horn at the Suncorp Stadium.

“I will miss all of you when I leave boxing,” Pacquiao told his audience.

Some of them wept with the boxing superstar, including Pacquiao’s family and close friends, following the bitter loss to the younger, less experienced Australian boxer.

“Nagpahiwatig na (He has given a hint),” said Winchell Campos, a Team Pacquiao member, after the Bible service attended by close to 200 worshippers at the Sofitel Brisbane ballroom.

“Madaming umiyak (Many wept),” said another Pacquiao friend.

Pacquiao’s own trainer, Freddie Roach, said yesterday it might be time for the boxing champion to retire.

Horn pulled off a unanimous decision that drew harsh criticisms from fans and several boxing experts, those who watched the fight live and those from far away.

Others felt that Pacquiao was robbed of a victory, putting the blame on referee Mark Nelson and the three neutral judges from New York, Arizona and Argentina.

The judges scored it 117-111, 115-113 and 115-113 all for Horn,

“Kangaroo court,” said a member of Pacquiao’s inner circle, lawyer Franklin Gacal.

An American boxing writer, who had covered Pacquiao’s biggest fights, except this one, said he judged the fight on TV, volume off, and had Pacquiao winning, 9-3.

The jaded writer from Sports Illustrated thought Horn won only three rounds.

Famous fight promoter Lou Di Bella said, “Three sixth-graders who had never seen a fight before would have been more accurate (scoring the fight).”

However, others believed that Pacquiao lost the fight simply because he’s no longer as great, as fast and as strong as he used to be.

They said Pacquiao “looked old” inside the ring Sunday.

Meanwhile, trainer Freddie Roach said he and Pacquiao will soon discuss whether to continue fighting or call it quits.

Pacquiao’s close loss to Horn had Roach contemplating if his ward is done being a boxer.

Roach was clearly not satisfied with Pacquiao’s performance, but had to accept how things came to be.

“It went the other way and we have to live with that,” the trainer said in a boxingscene.com report.

“I’m gonna have a long talk with him over that, because I think maybe being a senator and being a fighter, both is just maybe too much,” added Roach.

Prior to the fight, Roach and the rest of Pacquiao’s camp had declared the it’s either a knockout win or bust for the Filipino icon, whose career badly needed a shot in the arm.

Roach even told reporters that they might “call it a day” even if Pacquiao beats Horn but struggles in doing so.

Pacquiao ended up struggling in parts of his 12-round bout with Horn, and now he and Roach must make the ultimate decision.

“He didn’t fight badly or anything like that, he did well in some of the rounds, but he just wasn’t consistent enough for what I want,” said Roach.