Should Manny Pacquiao Fight in the 2024 Paris Olympics?
Manny Pacquiao, known as “The People’s Champ,” expressed his gratitude to the Philippine Olympic Committee for formalizing his bid to compete in the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics.
Pacquiao has had a legendary boxing career, making him the only eight-division world champion in the history of the sport and boasting an impressive twelve major world titles. He achieved numerous groundbreaking feats, such as becoming the first boxer to win the lineal championship in five different weight classes and clinching major world titles in four of the eight “glamour divisions” (flyweight, featherweight, lightweight, and welterweight). Additionally, he holds the distinction of being the only boxer with world championships spanning four decades (1990s, 2000s, 2010s, and 2020s).
Pacquiao’s boxing career is marked by exceptional achievements, with both an impressive amateur and professional record. As a professional, he holds a record of 62–8–2, with 39 wins by knockout, earning recognition as the greatest southpaw fighter of all time by boxing historian Bert Sugar.
Throughout his storied career, Pacquiao faced and defeated 22 world champions, including renowned names such as Marco Antonio Barrera, Érik Morales, Oscar De La Hoya, Miguel Cotto, and Keith Thurman, among others. His most recent bout was against Yordenis Ugás in August 2021.
Despite having the opportunity to compete in the 2016 Summer Olympics when professional boxers under 40 were allowed to participate, Pacquiao decided against it. Earlier, Manny Pacquiao expressed his gratitude to the Philippine Olympic Committee for formalizing his bid to compete in the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics. “I believe that it is not too late to fulfill my dream of bringing home a boxing gold medal from the Olympics for the Philippines,” he said.
But does Manny Pacquiao really need to fight in the Olympics?
Some people consider that he should hang up his gloves and ultimately retire from boxing. Given his age at 44, he might not compete well with younger boxers, much like what happened in his bout against Ugas, who is also an Olympian.
On the other hand, some might agree that he can still fight in the ring since age is just a number, as they say.
As a long-time fan of Manny Pacquiao, I believe he should stick to his plan of retiring from boxing. Given his age, he might suffer injuries if he continues to fight in boxing.
For more news and the latest updates, feel free to visit Newspapers.ph more often as well as our Facebook page and YouTube channel.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in the above article belong solely to the author and do not reflect the views of the entire media organization. Additionally, the citations included are derived from credible sources and form the foundation of the author’s perspective. The author’s intent is not to present an inaccurate portrayal of the topic or exert influence on readers but rather to articulate their viewpoint in a formal manner.
