The Last Of Pacquiao?

LAS VEGAS – There is nothing left for Manny Pacquiao to prove inside the ring.

On Saturday, Aug. 21, before 17,438 fans at the T-Mobile Arena, the legend from the Philippines also showed that there is nothing much left in him.

“In the future you might not see Manny Pacquiao fight in the ring again. I don’t know,” the fighting senator said.

He was pressed for more answers concerning retirement or his plans to seek the presidency in the May 2022 elections.

But there’s just so much he can say after the bitter loss, which dropped his impressive ring record to 62-8-2 with 39 knockouts.

“I need to relax and make a decision,” he said.

The 42-year-old Pacquiao fought Cuban champion Yordenis Ugás, who proved too big and too strong in scoring a unanimous decision against his smaller yet heavily favored opponent.

Prior to the fight, Ugás was described as a paper champion. He was handed the WBA (super) welterweight title that was stripped from Pacquiao last January due to inactivity.

But Ugás, a 5-foot-9 sculpture, proved to be the rightful champion, one that can keep the crown against anyone in the star-studded class.

“That was decided in the ring,” he said.

There was no resistance from the dominant Pacquiao crowd when the verdict was announced after 12 hard rounds. Two judges had it 116-112 and another 115-113, all for the 35-year-old substitute opponent.

Instead, perhaps the biggest crowd that this boxing capital had seen in this pandemic chanted, “Man-ny! Man-ny! Man-ny!”

Well, that was the least they could do for the man who has brought so much joy for fight fans, and so much pride and glory for his nation.

Pacquiao is the only boxer in history to win world titles in eight different weight classes, a feat that’s hard to match or surpass.

“I’m sorry we lost. But I gave my best,” said Pacquiao just moments after the fight, his first after a 25-month layoff.

At his age, nearing his 43rd birthday, Pacquiao couldn’t afford to stay out of the ring that long.

Pacquiao was nowhere near the man he once was. On this night, his legs were gone, and he was often caught flat-footed by an opponent never known for his quickness.

Without making excuses, Pacquiao said he felt tightness in his once powerful legs beginning in the second round.

That tolled heavily on his mobility in the ring, and went against their fight plan of moving around the taller opponent with a longer reach.

“No excuses,” he said during the post-fight press conference, where he had the chance to tip his hat off to Ugás.

“I’m not saying this as an excuse but my legs. I cannot move around. In the early days, I could easily move but this time, my legs were tight and hurt me in the second round,” he said.

Pacquiao also had trouble with Ugás’ left jab and could not find the answer to that looping right that started to connect halfway through the fight.

Often, Pacquiao tried to engage but was short with his punches. He landed combinations here and there but not with the same authority he used to have beating opponents as big as Ugás.

Ugás’ face showed marks of a hard-fought battle, too, but he was never hurt in the ring.

The bronze medalist for Cuba in the 2008 Beijing Olympics landed slow but heavy punches against Pacquiao, and a few times rocking the Filipino’s head and causing his body to sway.

However, there was no point during the match that Pacquiao looked on the verge of going down. In the end, he wore welts around both eyes and a tiny cut in his left eye.

Pacquiao’s wife, Jinkee, knew what was happening from her ringside seat, and even in the middle rounds appeared to be trying to look elsewhere during a heated exchange.

“That’s boxing,” Pacquiao said.

“I had a hard time in the ring making adjustments,” he added.

After the final bell rang, Pacquiao raised his arms but with his head bowed, and after the decision was announced, he wasn’t sure how to react.

But he was gracious in yet another defeat as much as he was magnanimous in his previous victories before a global audience.

“Ugás is the champion,” he said.

During the post-fight press conference, the two boxers stood side-by-side. Pacquiao put his right hand in Ugás’ waist, and the latter placed his left hand over the Filipino’s shoulder.

“I want to thank God for keeping us both safe in the ring. And I want to thank all the fans, the media, the press. I appreciate your love,” he said.

“In my heart I want to continue. But I have to consider my body,” he added.

Pacquiao, the legend, may or may never fight again.

This fight can provide the answer.