President Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday, July 15, expressed his hopes that Manny Pacquiao’s bout against Lucas Matthysse would be his final match.
Duterte advised the People’s Champ to retire from boxing and begin taking care of his body after years of doing the physical sport.
“[It’s] not because he cannot win or lose, but I’d like to see my friend rest on his laurels at this time and enjoy life. He has so much money already,” Duterte said.
Duterte added that it was the first time he flew outside the country to watch Pacman play inside the ring.
“I have no regrets that I came earlier to watch the fight. It’s a good one, it’s the first time that I have traveled outside the Philippines just to see him fight,” Duterte said.
Duterte flew to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to hold a dialogue with Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.
Injuries in the past
The physically demanding nature of boxing has hit Pacquiao multiple times during his professional career. Pacquiao was vocal about his shoulder and calf problems in the past. Moreover, Pacquiao’s team also blamed injury for his loss against Floyd Mayweather in 2015.
These injuries, however, were not evident in Pacquiao’s match against his Argentine opponent, Matthysse, who was knocked down thrice in only seven rounds.
Pacquiao’s calf problem was non-existent when he showed Matthysse his speed, one of the things the Filipino boxer is most known for. His shoulder injury did not come into play either as Pacquiao was able to throw punches and jabs from his left and right arm.
With this victory, Pacquiao takes the WBA welterweight title and a personal career record of 60 wins and 7 losses, with 39 of his wins as knockouts.
