Report: Manny Pacquiao will not compete in Rio Olympics
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Manny Pacquiao will not compete in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, reports Ryan Songalia of RingTV.com.
Pacquiao was reportedly given until Friday to decide if he would compete in the Games in the first year professional boxers are allowed to participate. Had he accepted the opportunity, he would have competed as a wild card in the 64-kilogram junior welterweight class, one class lower than his usual fighting weight.
He made the decision not to travel to Rio in order to fully focus on his responsibilities as a senator in the Phillippines, Songalia reports.
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Pacquiao, 37, officially announced his retirement in April, but he had considered the possibility of coming out of retirement to fight at Rio. He will not be eligible to participate in the 2020 Olympics because he will be over 40 years old.
Over his successful boxing career, Pacquiao has a record of 58–6–2 with 38 knockouts.
