MANILA – After defeating Lucas Matthysse, the newly crowned WBA welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao showed that retirement from boxing was not yet an option.
In a post-fight interview at the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the eight-division Filipino world champion said he plans to defend the title later this year.
“I’m not gone. I’m still there. It’s just a matter of time to take rest and then get it back,” said Pacquiao. “That’s what I did, especially this fight – bringing a convincing victory, a convincing win, bringing honor to our country.”
“As a 39-year-old, I’m still OK, I’m still fine. The way I work hard, you cannot see that I’m 39 years old,” he added. “When you saw me training and preparing for this fight, you can say I’m like 28, 27 years old.”
Pacquiao said he was happy with his performance under the guidance of longtime pal Buboy Fernandez.
“I am not saying that Freddie Roach is not a good trainer but Buboy handled this training camp well, and I appreciate that,” Pacquiao said. “In this fight our strategy was just to be patient.”
After the victory, the fighting senator wants to take some time off before plotting his title defense.
Among his possible opponents are Jeff Horn – from whom he suffered a controversial loss last year – and former sparring mates Amir Khan and Vasyl Lomachenko./PN
