{"id":6234,"date":"2016-04-10T19:14:19","date_gmt":"2016-04-10T19:14:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/2016\/04\/10\/manny-pacquiao-wins-what-he-calls-the-final-fight-of-his-career\/"},"modified":"2016-04-10T19:14:19","modified_gmt":"2016-04-10T19:14:19","slug":"manny-pacquiao-wins-what-he-calls-the-final-fight-of-his-career","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/manny-pacquiao-wins-what-he-calls-the-final-fight-of-his-career\/","title":{"rendered":"Manny Pacquiao Wins What He Calls The Final Fight Of His Career"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-style:italic;font-size:16px\">By  <a class=\"colorbox\" href=\"http:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/thetwo-way\/2016\/04\/10\/473720935\/manny-pacquiao-wins-what-he-calls-the-final-fight-of-his-career?utm_medium=RSS&amp;utm_campaign=sports\">Merrit Kennedy<\/a><\/span>  <\/p>\n<div class=\"ftpimagefix\" style=\"float:left\"><a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/thetwo-way\/2016\/04\/10\/473720935\/manny-pacquiao-wins-what-he-calls-the-final-fight-of-his-career?utm_medium=RSS&amp;utm_campaign=sports\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2016\/04\/10\/ap_16101156326702_wide-fb036173b68ae8b44d9cb7d83eb7f28df9218314-s1100-c15.jpg\" title=\"Manny Pacquiao (right), of the Philippines, hits Timothy Bradley Jr. during their WBO welterweight title boxing bout on Saturday in Las Vegas.\" alt=\"Manny Pacquiao (right), of the Philippines, hits Timothy Bradley Jr. during their WBO welterweight title boxing bout on Saturday in Las Vegas.\"><\/a><\/div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<p>Manny Pacquiao (right), of the Philippines, hits Timothy Bradley Jr. during their WBO welterweight title boxing bout on Saturday in Las Vegas. <strong>Isaac Brekken\/AP<\/strong> <strong>hide caption<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>toggle caption<\/strong> <span>Isaac Brekken\/AP<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Manny Pacquiao defeated rival boxer Timothy Bradley Jr. in Las Vegas on Saturday night, in what the star has called the final fight of his career.<\/p>\n<p>Pacquiao, who is Filipino, won the welterweight fight by unanimous decision from the judges. The fight at the MGM Grand was Pacquiao&#8217;s first since his loss to Floyd Mayweather last May in what had been dubbed the &#8220;fight of the century.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Pacquiao may be hanging up his boxing gloves, but don&#8217;t count on him going out quietly,&#8221; <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mgmgrand.com\/en\/entertainment\/pacquiao-vs%E2%80%94bradley.html\">the MGM Grand said to promote the fight.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>As <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2016\/04\/10\/sports\/manny-pacquiao-defeats-timothy-bradley-boxing.html?hp&amp;action=click&amp;pgtype=Homepage&amp;clickSource=story-heading&amp;module=second-column-region&amp;region=top-news&amp;WT.nav=top-news\">The New York Times reports<\/a>, it had been clear Pacquiao&#8217;s career was &#8220;winding down.&#8221; But, &#8220;as he stepped into the ring on Saturday night for a third fight against Timothy Bradley Jr., he was determined to show that he was not leaving because his skills had diminished. He wanted to win convincingly, he said.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>And he did; all three judges scored the match 116-110.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;As of now I am retired,&#8221; <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/espn.go.com\/boxing\/story\/_\/id\/15174152\/manny-pacquiao-outpoints-timothy-bradley-jr-final-fight\">Pacquiao said, according to ESPN<\/a>. &#8220;I am going to go home and think about it, but I want to be with my family. I want to serve the people [of the Philippines].&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I have a commitment to my family that I&#8217;m going to retire after this, and we don&#8217;t know,&#8221; Pacquiao told ringside reporters, according to Reuters. &#8220;If you ask me about if I&#8217;m coming back, maybe I enjoy by being retired and serving and helping the people.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>These comments, while clearly saying that he is retiring, also make clear he&#8217;ll be continuing to think about whether to <em>stay<\/em> retired.<\/p>\n<p>ESPN adds that Pacquiao, a politician in the Philippines, &#8220;is a two-term congressman running for a senate seat.&#8221; That election is next month.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Should he win \u2014 and he is one of the favorites \u2014 it would be almost impossible to remain an active fighter,&#8221; the AP reports.<\/p>\n<p>Pacquiao has fiercely loyal fans. &#8220;The story of Manny Pacquiao growing up as a poor Filipino kid and making it out of the slums resonates with a lot of Filipinos,&#8221; <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/www.npr.org\/2015\/05\/03\/404027999\/for-filipinos-manny-pacquiao-remains-a-symbol-of-hope\">Denise Guerra reported on Morning Edition<\/a> last year. &#8220;He&#8217;s become a symbol of hope and resilience for Filipinos throughout the world.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/www.newyorker.com\/magazine\/2015\/05\/25\/the-best-defense\">A 2015 New Yorker profile<\/a> of the &#8220;fight of the century&#8221; contenders said &#8220;Pacquiao &#8230; rededicated himself to Christianity in 2011, and since then his public statements have been full of paeans to faith and humility; he said he was praying for Mayweather, whom he considered his &#8216;brother in Christ.&#8217; &#8220;<\/p>\n<p>Pacquiao has also compared homosexuals to animals \u2014 which, as we reported, <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/thetwo-way\/2016\/02\/18\/467189832\/nike-ends-manny-pacquiao-s-contract-over-remarks-about-gays\">led Nike to terminate its dealings with him<\/a> earlier this year.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/blockads.fivefilters.org\/\">Let&#8217;s block ads!<\/a><\/strong> <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/github.com\/fivefilters\/block-ads\/wiki\/There-are-no-acceptable-ads\">(Why?)<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Source:: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/thetwo-way\/2016\/04\/10\/473720935\/manny-pacquiao-wins-what-he-calls-the-final-fight-of-his-career?utm_medium=RSS&amp;utm_campaign=sports\" class=\"colorbox\" title=\"Manny Pacquiao Wins What He Calls The Final Fight Of His Career\" rel=\"nofollow\">http:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/thetwo-way\/2016\/04\/10\/473720935\/manny-pacquiao-wins-what-he-calls-the-final-fight-of-his-career?utm_medium=RSS&amp;utm_campaign=sports<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"ftpimagefix\" style=\"float:left\"><a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/thetwo-way\/2016\/04\/10\/473720935\/manny-pacquiao-wins-what-he-calls-the-final-fight-of-his-career?utm_medium=RSS&amp;utm_campaign=sports\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2016\/04\/10\/ap_16101156326702_wide-fb036173b68ae8b44d9cb7d83eb7f28df9218314-s1100-c15.jpg\" title=\"Manny Pacquiao (right), of the Philippines, hits Timothy Bradley Jr. during their WBO welterweight title boxing bout on Saturday in Las Vegas.\" alt=\"Manny Pacquiao (right), of the Philippines, hits Timothy Bradley Jr. during their WBO welterweight title boxing bout on Saturday in Las Vegas.\"><\/a><\/div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<p>Manny Pacquiao (right), of the Philippines, hits Timothy Bradley Jr. during their WBO welterweight title boxing bout on Saturday in Las Vegas. <strong>Isaac Brekken\/AP<\/strong> <strong>hide caption<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>toggle caption<\/strong> <span>Isaac Brekken\/AP<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Manny Pacquiao defeated rival boxer Timothy Bradley Jr. in Las Vegas on Saturday night, in what the star has called the final fight of his career.<\/p>\n<p>Pacquiao, who is Filipino, won the welterweight fight by unanimous decision from the judges. The fight at the MGM Grand was Pacquiao&#8217;s first since his loss to Floyd Mayweather last May in what had been dubbed the &#8220;fight of the century.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Pacquiao may be hanging up his boxing gloves, but don&#8217;t count on him going out quietly,&#8221; <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mgmgrand.com\/en\/entertainment\/pacquiao-vs%E2%80%94bradley.html\">the MGM Grand said to promote the fight.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>As <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2016\/04\/10\/sports\/manny-pacquiao-defeats-timothy-bradley-boxing.html?hp&amp;action=click&amp;pgtype=Homepage&amp;clickSource=story-heading&amp;module=second-column-region&amp;region=top-news&amp;WT.nav=top-news\">The New York Times reports<\/a>, it had been clear Pacquiao&#8217;s career was &#8220;winding down.&#8221; But, &#8220;as he stepped into the ring on Saturday night for a third fight against Timothy Bradley Jr., he was determined to show that he was not leaving because his skills had diminished. He wanted to win convincingly, he said.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>And he did; all three judges scored the match 116-110.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;As of now I am retired,&#8221; <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/espn.go.com\/boxing\/story\/_\/id\/15174152\/manny-pacquiao-outpoints-timothy-bradley-jr-final-fight\">Pacquiao said, according to ESPN<\/a>. &#8220;I am going to go home and think about it, but I want to be with my family. I want to serve the people [of the Philippines].&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I have a commitment to my family that I&#8217;m going to retire after this, and we don&#8217;t know,&#8221; Pacquiao told ringside reporters, according to Reuters. &#8220;If you ask me about if I&#8217;m coming back, maybe I enjoy by being retired and serving and helping the people.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>These comments, while clearly saying that he is retiring, also make clear he&#8217;ll be continuing to think about whether to <em>stay<\/em> retired.<\/p>\n<p>ESPN adds that Pacquiao, a politician in the Philippines, &#8220;is a two-term congressman running for a senate seat.&#8221; That election is next month.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Should he win \u2014 and he is one of the favorites \u2014 it would be almost impossible to remain an active fighter,&#8221; the AP reports.<\/p>\n<p>Pacquiao has fiercely loyal fans. &#8220;The story of Manny Pacquiao growing up as a poor Filipino kid and making it out of the slums resonates with a lot of Filipinos,&#8221; <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/www.npr.org\/2015\/05\/03\/404027999\/for-filipinos-manny-pacquiao-remains-a-symbol-of-hope\">Denise Guerra reported on Morning Edition<\/a> last year. &#8220;He&#8217;s become a symbol of hope and resilience for Filipinos throughout the world.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/www.newyorker.com\/magazine\/2015\/05\/25\/the-best-defense\">A 2015 New Yorker profile<\/a> of the &#8220;fight of the century&#8221; contenders said &#8220;Pacquiao &#8230; rededicated himself to Christianity in 2011, and since then his public statements have been full of paeans to faith and humility; he said he was praying for Mayweather, whom he considered his &#8216;brother in Christ.&#8217; &#8220;<\/p>\n<p>Pacquiao has also compared homosexuals to animals \u2014 which, as we reported, <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/thetwo-way\/2016\/02\/18\/467189832\/nike-ends-manny-pacquiao-s-contract-over-remarks-about-gays\">led Nike to terminate its dealings with him<\/a> earlier this year.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/blockads.fivefilters.org\/\">Let&#8217;s block ads!<\/a><\/strong> <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/github.com\/fivefilters\/block-ads\/wiki\/There-are-no-acceptable-ads\">(Why?)<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[221],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6234","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6234","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6234"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6234\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6234"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6234"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6234"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}