Manny out of boxing as Senate beckons

MANILA, Philippines - Retired boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao winning a seat in the Philippine Senate may be good news to some and bad news to others.

Pacquiao is safely tucked inside the Magic 12. Four days after the elections and based on unofficial results, he is at No. 7 with over 15 million votes.

A victory for the 37-year-old boxing icon means that Pacquiao continues to move up the political ladder. He served two terms as congressman in Sarangani.

It also keeps alive his dreams of pursuing an even higher position in the future, perhaps a run at the vice presidency in 2022. Or even higher as some would suggest.

Pacquiao bound for the Senate, where the responsibilities are far greater than that of a congressman, also means that he might or should kiss his boxing career for good.

When Pacquiao formally announced his retirement from boxing following his impressive win over American Timothy Bradley last month, many didn’t buy it hook, line and sinker.

Even his promoter, Bob Arum, thought that one day soon, Pacquiao would fight again.

“Deep inside, I don’t think this is his last fight,” Arum told the press days before the rubber match between Pacquiao and Bradley took place at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

But his impending victory in the senatorial race should force Pacquiao to focus all his time and energy at serving the Filipino people.

Pacquiao had been severely criticized as being the top absentee in Congress, where there are over 200 members. Despite that huge number, his absence stood out.

As a senator, one of only 24, Pacquiao cannot afford to skip sessions as much as he did as a congressman, due to fights where he had to train for months.

Arum even joked that if ever Pacquiao became a senator and decides to continue fighting, the Top Rank chief would ask the Senate to hold sessions at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles.

Or that Pacquiao can train on the Senate floors.

Arum said it’s now harder to think of Pacquiao as a senator and boxer at the same time. If there’s one advice he could give his favorite boxer it’s to focus on being a senator.

“He shouldn’t have a future in the ring (anymore). That’s it,” Arum told www.boxingscene.com just days after the May 9 elections, when millions of votes started coming in for Pacquiao.

“For the next six years, he should be a senator. I mean, that’s how I see it. He has an obligation to the Filipino people to be their senator,” said Arum.

“And that’s a very serious obligation. I don’t think he should fool around fighting,” he added.

Unless it’s a rematch with Floyd Mayweather Jr., the eight-division champion from the Philippines should keep his fighting shoes in the closet.

Pacquiao’s term as senator ends in 2022. By that time he will decide whether he’d continue serving the people by seeking a higher office.

He’d be too old to fight by then.