SYDNEY, Australia – Manny Pacquiao says he’s going to consider calling it a career following his shock defeat to Jeff Horn.

The 38-year-old Pacquiao had expressed interest in exercising his rematch clause with Horn immediately after coming up on the wrong side of a unanimous decision to the unheralded fighter last Sunday (Saturday in the United States) at Suncorp Stadium. Now he’s not sure if he’ll ever fight again.

“I am also considering the opinion of people, the opinion of my family and my body,” Pacquiao (59-7-2, 38 knockouts) told ABS-CBN the next day after returning home to General Santos City, Philippines.

“I plan to relax first and recover from the pains in my body and then, after that, when I have already relaxed, that’s when I will think hard about it.”

This wouldn’t be Pacquiao’s first retirement after he told the public he’d hang up the gloves prior to his third meeting with Timothy Bradley Jr. in April of 2016 to pursue a career in the Philippine Senate. After winning his seat, Pacquiao said he “felt lonely when I stopped boxing,” and returned later that year, defeating Jessie Vargas to win the WBO welterweight title.

Freddie Roach, who has been Pacquiao’s trainer since he first came to the United States to advance his career in 2001, has said he’d talk to Pacquiao about retirement, saying it was hard to get the best out of him, as he splits his time between the Senate and the ring. Roach said he was “in the middle” about whether Pacquiao should continue because he fought well at times but later seemed to move closer to suggesting he retire.

“I’m going to talk to Manny about maybe calling it a day; maybe this is it,” said Roach. Pacquiao’s wife has also voiced her opinion that he end his career after 22 years as a professional.

Pacquiao, an eight-division champion, has now lost four of his last nine bouts, although the decision in his first bout with Bradley was considered highly controversial and the verdict in the Horn bout has also been disputed by many observers of the sport outside of Australia, where Horn has been hailed as a hometown hero for winning the WBO welterweight title in front of an announced crowd of 51,052.

Pacquiao had originally said in the ring that he accepted the verdict of the judges but has since lambasted both the officiating and the judging.
“We led by four or five rounds over him…That’s why I felt I was set up,” Pacquiao said.

A rematch, should it take place, is contractually obligated to take place in Brisbane, said Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank.

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