Hindi tutol si Top Rank big boss Bob Arum kung tuluyan nang magretiro si eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao, ngunit hindi siya naniniwalang makalalahok ito sa Rio Olympics.
Sa panayam ni boxing writer Victor Salazar sa BoxingScene.com, iginiit ni Arum na hahayaan niyang magretiro sa boksing si Pacquiao pagkatapos ng huling laban nito kay Timothy Bradley sa Abril 9 sa Las Vegas, Nevada.
“I’m not going to lobby at all,” diin ni Arum. “It’s not for me to do. If he wants to fight again, he can but he has a life outside of boxing as politician. That’s why I’m not saying it’s his last fight. If he feels he wants to continue he’ll continue. He’s saying now that it’s his last fight but I’m not saying it’s his last fight. If the guy wants to retire, let him retire.”
Iginiit din ni Arum na hindi makatotohanan ang plano ni Pacquiao na lumahok sa nalalapit na Rio Olympics kahit pumayag ang International Boxing Association (AIBA) na payagan ang professional boxers na lumahok sa nalalapit na Olympics Games.
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“It’s good for so many young Filipino professional boxers if ever it happens. It boosts the chance of the Philippines to end the [Olympic gold medal] drought,” ani Arum. “But if you’re going to ask me about Manny’s participation, it’s unrealistic.”
Nauna rito, kinondena ni WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman ang plano ni AIBA President Dr. Ching-Kuo Wu Wu na payagan ang mga propesyunal na boksingero na lumahok sa Olympics tulad sa larangan ng tennis at basketball.
“The World Boxing Council is really sad, disappointed and dismayed with the level at which the actions of AIBA has reached the lowest point in the history of Olympic boxing,” pahayag ni Sulaiman sa Fightnews.com.
“Demonstrating their failure as a sanctioning body, the AIBA has announced its intent to allow the participation of professional boxers in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. They’ve had amateur boxing in a constant crisis in many countries including Mexico,” aniya.
“For boxer safety, limits and procedures exist between amateur boxing and professional boxing but they seek to omit these circumstances because their interests lie beyond the safety of the boxer.” (Gilbert Espeña)
