It might sound blasphemous, but Manny Pacquiao should walk off into the sunset following his bout against Juan Manuel Marquez at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Saturday night.
Win or lose, it's time for Pac-Man to hang up his gloves.
It's not because I don't believe that he can handle himself inside the ring––we know that he can.
But there are multiple reasons why the future Hall of Famer should step away from the sport that made him a global phenomenon.
Hear me out.
He Has Nothing Left to Prove
Pacquiao is boxing's first eight-division world champion, during which he's won 10 World Championships––not including the four Lineal Championships that he's won at four different weight classes.
He was named the "Boxer of the Decade" for the 2000s by the WBC, WBO and Boxing Writers Association of America.
He has been named "Fighter of the Year" three times by the BWAA and The Ring, and he's a two-time ESPY Award-winner for "Boxer of the Year."
Pac-Man has accomplished virtually everything humanly possible inside the ring.
Floyd Mayweather? Please.
I mean no disrespect to Floyd Mayweather with that statement, but let's be honest.
At this point in their respective careers, when both fighters are past their prime, what exactly is a fight between them going to prove?
Absolutely nothing.
People can knock Pacquiao for never facing the other best "pound-for-pound" fighter in the world of his era, but the fact that we've not seen that fight isn't exactly Pac-Man's fault.
Fans may still be clamoring for the bout, but the reality of the situation is that whether he and Mayweather ever step inside the ring to face each other is meaningless when looking at the big picture that is Pacquiao's career.
Age Is More Than a Number
Manny Pacquiao celebrates his 34th birthday next Friday.
While 34 years old is far from old in the real world, it's getting up there in the boxing world, especially when you've got more than 60 professional fights under your belt.
Boxers don't age gracefully.
Sure, Pacquiao might still be in excellent physical form and able to hold his own against all comers, but that isn't going to be the case for much longer.
Sooner rather than later, time is going to begin to catch up with him.
There's no reason for him to be in the ring when it does.
Who Would He Fight?
Aside from Mayweather, who is left for Pacquiao to battle?
A rematch with Timothy Bradley? Sure, I could see that, but nobody outside of Bradley's camp actually believes that Bradley really won his bout against Pac-Man.
Juan Manuel Marquez is 39 years old, and the fourth match of their epic rivalry on Saturday night figures to be the last.
Who's left after that?
Nobody.
His Interests Lie Elsewhere
There are two Manny Pacquiaos.
There's the boxer that we've all come to know and watch inside the ring, and there's the man that those in the Philippines know as so much more.
He is the district of Sarangani's only representative in the Philippine House of Representatives, a position he has held since 2010.
In 2013, Pacquiao plans on making a run for governor of the province in the 2013 local elections, according to ABS-CBN News.
Politics have become a major part of his life––and his ambitions to run for Governor are going to take up the bulk of his time.
There's no way that he'll be able to govern and have enough time available to dedicate towards preparing for a fight.
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