Manny Pacquiao to retire in 2016 if elected senator in the Philippines: Bob Arum

Manny Pacquiao will return to fight in 2016 but it could be the Filipino’s last if he wins as a senator in the Philippine elections, according to boxing promoter Bob Arum.

"He's [going to] fight again next year but his goal is to become a senator in the Philippines, which he will be next year, and then to be president,” Arum, the founder of Top Rank Promotions which handles Pacquiao's fights, declared to TMZ.com. "I think Manny will retire once he's elected to the Senate of the Philippines which is next year ... he's [going to] hang up the gloves."

This is not the first time Arum has said that Pacquiao has plans for the presidency in his country. In April earlier this year, Arum said that the Filipino has plans on running for a senate seat in 2016 and for president in 2022.

Pacquiao is coming off a loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr. last May 2, 2015 when he aggravated a shoulder injury and eventually needed surgery. The Filipino boxer is pegged to be out from six to nine months from the time of surgery before full recovery. Pacquiao is expected to be back in action in the early part of 2016.

Among the rumoured opponents for Pacquiao is British boxer Amir Khan in a fight possibly held in the Middle East, according to separate reports. 

The election in the Philippines is scheduled on May 9, 2016. Pacquiao was elected to the House of Representatives in the 15th and 16th Congress of the Philippines in 2010 and 2013. Pacquiao has yet to announce his plans for the 2016 elections. 

Floyd Mayweather suggests Manny Pacquiao will replace him as the best fighter in the world

Not everyone believes that Floyd Mayweather’s fight this Saturday against Andre Berto really will be the final one of his career. But the undefeated welterweight remains insistent that it will, in fact, be his swan song.

On Tuesday, Mayweather was asked a question that assumes he is about to exit the stage. Who does he think will replace him as “the best fighter in the world”?

Mayweather paused to consider his answer, then said, “We don’t know, really.” But when pressed to offer a name, the 48-0 boxer had this to say:

“I really cannot say, I mean, we’ll just have to see.

“Probably Manny Pacquiao. We can’t just take it away from him because he lost to me.

“Probably, I would say Manny Pacquiao.”

Interesting words, considering how poor Pacquiao looked in their May mega-fight won by Mayweather in a unanimous decision. After that desultory contest, the Filipino fighter said that he had badly injured his shoulder while training, a claim that Mayweather mocked in a July Instagram post.

More recently, Mayweather’s father said that Pacquiao was “a liar with no skills.” Currently, Ring magazine rates Pacquiao No. 6 in its pound-for-pound rankings (Mayweather tops the list).

It’s possible that Mayweather is just trying to put a more positive spin on his fight with Pacquiao; if he can convince people that his opponent that night is the heir to his crown as the sport’s best, then his own victory will look that much better. However, Mayweather still has some convincing to do on the issue of Berto’s worthiness, at least to judge from reports that hundreds, if not thousands, of tickets are still available for that contest.