By Eric Lunger
After a quick media dust-up yesterday, caused by Manny Pacquiao’s comments to a local Filipino news outlet, in which the current Senator and future hall-of-famer speculated on a possible fight with Ukrainian powerhouse Vasyl Lomachenko, the 130-pound champion’s camp made it clear that they are not interested in such a bout.
Egis Klemis, who manages the career of the Ukrainian two-time Olympic gold medalist, made clear his position via Twitter:
“Manny is Legendary and very respectful fighter, but he is non-active and he is done and Loma won’t take advantage of it just beating a legend to get him [sic] name. We have better route fighting active champions in our weight class.”
The final comment is the most perspicacious – as we noted on this website yesterday, finding a weight class that made sense for the bout appeared to be the biggest obstacle. Klimas told ESPN’s Dan Rafael that the three weight-class difference made any talk of a fight “insane,” and that there was no upside to beating an older man at a weight that he shouldn’t try to make.
I think many fans, upon sober reflection, would agree that Manny Pacquiao, a legend in the sport and one of the all-time greats, should not end his career with some pathetic beat-down or money grab. The loss to Horn was an honorable finish: a warrior giving his best but coming up short. For the Pacman, it’s time to stay retired.