Arum: If Manny impresses vs Bradley, he’ll want to fight on

MANILA, Philippines – Top Rank Inc. chief Bob Arum is no stranger to boxers who have announced their retirement only to come back and fight again.

And for him, Manny Pacquiao could be another case.

The veteran promoter recently spoke to UK-based boxing scribe Gareth Davies of The Telegraph, saying Pacquiao will likely want to continue fighting if he wins impressively against Timothy Bradley next month.

“He [Pacquiao] says this is his last fight. You can take that with a grain of salt, though. I think he believes it's going to be his last fight. But I'm not saying it's his last fight. This isn't my first rodeo,” said Arum.

Pacquiao has maintained that he will retire after his bout with Bradley to focus on politics. Currently Sarangani representative, he is now eyeing a Senate post in the May elections.

But Arum cited other boxers he knew, most notably Floyd Mayweather Jr., who could not resist the lure of the boxing ring after announcing their retirement.

“I've had a lot of fighters tell me this is their last fight and six months later they're back in the ring. I had a fighter who retired at a press conference and half an hour later he unretired,” the Top Rank boss continued.

“I have an instinct with all of them. These top fighters have a hard time giving it up, and if Manny's performance is an outstanding one against Bradley, he'll want to continue,” he added.

Mayweather himself retired  after knocking out Ricky Hatton in 2007, but came back 21 months later to face Juan Manuel Marquez. He fought on until last year, defeating Pacquiao and Andre Berto before again calling it quits.

Arum, for his part, said money and attention conspire to lure boxers out of retirement.

“How many times has Floyd Mayweather retired? It sounds great when they say they want to retire. And it's not just the money. They miss the limelight. There's nothing like the adrenalin and all the attention you get and all the press that surrounds you. Then you go into the ring and all the eyes are on you,” explained Arum.