“Before you retire please fight Mayweather and beat him ”

source: Igor Frank | Examiner.com

As if the June 9th title clash with undefeated Timothy Bradley hasn’t been scheduled yet, reporters crowded pound for pound king of boxing, Manny Pacquiao on Tuesday at the famed Beverly Hills Hotel to get the latest scoop on Floyd Mayweather and retirement rumors.

“I still love boxing but my family my kids are requesting me to retire,” proclaimed the pride of Phillipines immediately following Tuesday’s LA press conference to announce his upcoming welterweight showdown with Tim Bradley :” Especially my oldest, the first one; eleven years old, he said daddy I want you to retire, but before you retire please fight Mayweather and beat him.”

From the child’s mouth to god’s ears; that’s is exactly what most of the boxing universe would like to see. For now this fight has a lot of ifs before it could even take place. Mayweather is scheduled to face Miguel Cotto on May 5th. Cotto is an opponent that could give Floyd trobuble. Pacquiao is scheduled to face Bradley who is very determined and very dangerous opponent.

“Timothy Bradley is undefeated and my concern is a head butt,” said Pacquiao about challenger to his throne:” I have to prepare for that and watch carefully and study to see what I am going to do to keep away from head butt. I need to train hard, at least ten weeks for this fight. It will be good for me to gain muscle. I think Tim Bradley is hungry because he never lost. I think I need to be hungry also and train hard, that's why I need to train ten weeks for this fight.”

What about Floyd and that person to person phone call with Manny that was highly disputed in all corners of the boxing world.

“He said man let's do this fight ,” said Manny squinting as if he really didn’t want to talk about it:” I told him I agree with 50/50 sharing and whatever you request for the blood testing is no problem to me as long it's 50/50 and he said I will give you this guarantee and that's it, no more pay per view. He wanted to give a guarantee and no sharing of pay per view. I don't think he really wanted to fight and then I told him I 'll give you to my advisor.”

At wich point Manny gave the phone to his advisor Michael Konz.

Konz later told me that he was very encouraged by a conversation with Floyd Mayweather. Are they ever going to face off in the ring? Your guess is as good as mine.

Meanwhile Manny Pacquiao continues to draw inspiration from his fans.

“They inspire me because they are very supportive ,” said Pacquiao who recently turned 33:”They are always on my back and I am proud to be Manny Pacquaio and giving honor to my country.”

How Manny Pacquiao can really have an impact after boxing

source: Benjamin Pimentel | Philippine Daily Inquirer

SAN FRANCISCO—The post-boxing Manny Pacquiao story, we all hope, will turn out to be an uplifting tale, one that would build on his incredible success as an international icon.
And his recent attempt to reinvent himself is a good sign.

“I am no longer in the vice business. I’ve sold my shares in a big nightclub along with my shares in a Manila casino outlet,” he told reporters. “I do realize I was a weak person before.
If I had died the other year, I believe my soul would have ended in hell.”

So many great athletes eventually found themselves trapped in a quagmire of booze, drugs and a
self-destructive lifestyle. Pacquiao has now acknowledged that risk.

He won’t be in boxing forever. He’s young, rich and famous. He can do so much more.

As I’ve noted in past columns, I think his decision to enter politics was a bad choice. And I also feel the same way about his decision to become an “ambassador” of the Catholic Church.
Pacquiao may be limiting his post-boxing potential by aligning himself with two powerful, but flawed, institutions – the Philippine Congress and the Catholic hierarchy.

It’s already clear that he’s an odd fit in the House of Representatives. In explaining his positions on say, the reproductive health debate, he has come across as awkward, even inarticulate. Certainly, he is also surrounded by other politicians who are probably even less articulate and coherent.

But clearly, as a congressman, Manny Pacquiao, one of the greatest boxers in history, has been mediocre. He doesn’t stand out the way he did as a sports hero.
It’s not because he’s not smart. Certainly, it takes more than brawn to rise from a flyweight to a super welterweight champion, beating such boxing greats as Oscar de la Hoya and Shane Mosley.

Pacquiao is considered one of the smartest fighters in history. He should also play it smart in mapping out his post-boxing career.

And to do this, I’d argue, he needs to play to his strengths. And a big part of that strength is his own physical strength – and how he attained in against enormous odds.
So here’s one wild idea — one that I think speaks to Pacquiao’s apparent business ambitions and his desire to make a difference.

Why not start a chain of high-end gyms and physical fitness centers catering to the middle class and even upper class customers in the Philippines. He may even expand to the rest of Asia and the United States where he is well-known, even beloved.

He could then use proceeds from that enterprise to open a network of community gyms and fitness centers in working class and poor neighborhoods throughout the Philippines.
Imagine Manny Pacquiao as an advocate for physical fitness and clean living.

What a powerful message he could send to young Filipinos, particularly those from struggling families and communities throughout the archipelago, on the virtues of keeping healthy, and the dangers of smoking, excessive drinking and drugs.

“Iwas kayo sa yosi, toma at droga. Oo, mahirap ang buhay. Pero kung kinaya ko, kaya ninyo rin. .. Life is tough now, but it doesn’t mean you have to destroy yourselves with these vices.”

A photo that circulated on Facebook recently actually gave me this idea: it shows a younger skinny Pacquiao training, doing sit ups.

Can you imagine the kind of discipline and determination the young struggling, impoverished Pacquiao needed to develop his own body and boxing abilities to the point of being able to take on the world’s best fighters?

Pacquiao could eventually become a promoter and train a new generation of great Filipino boxers. But more importantly, he could show young Filipinos that, even if you don’t become a rich boxing icon, being fit and healthy is an ideal goal.

That’s the important lesson he could teach young Filipinos, especially those who cannot afford to become members of fancy gyms and fitness centers.

And he could accomplish this as an independent entrepreneur, an internationally-known Filipino celebrity who sees no need to be tied to any specific institution or arena where he would just be another insignificant, even mediocre, player.