Arum clueless on Pacquiao's boxing plans

MANILA, Philippines – Top Rank Inc. boss Bob Arum admits having no idea on what Manny Pacquiao plans to do next in his career.

Speaking recently to boxingtalk.com, the veteran promoter said all he knows right now is that Pacquiao has his hands full as a Philippine senator.

"Pacquiao is doing his thing politically and there's no real movement at this point from Manny," he said.

The last time Arum talked about Pacquiao’s next fight was upon being informed of the Filipino icon’s plan to stage a rematch between him and Jeff Horn in the Philippines. He said he won’t finance the bout if it indeed happens in Manila.

And according to Arum, it is even possible that Pacquiao never fights again after losing to Horn last July 2 in Brisbane, Australia.

"I don't know if there ever will be [another Pacquiao fight]. Manny may ultimately decide to hang them up and stay in politics,” he added.

Pacquiao and Horn appeared headed to an immediate rematch, but things went south when the former decided he wants the fight to be held in the Philippines. This, according to Arum, was not possible as they are contractually obligated to stage Pacquiao-Horn 2 only in Brisbane.

Pacquiao and his camp have turned to the Department of Tourism for possible financial backing, saying they’re planning to hold the rematch in December.

Whether that plan will materialize remains a big question.

Arum, for his part, is in the dark.

“He [Pacquiao] clearly had the opportunity to fight Horn in a rematch in Australia and he chose not to do the fight. Does that mean he's decided to hang them up? I have no idea," he said.