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TOPSHOT - Manny Pacquiao gestures to fans celebrating after defeating Timothy Bradley Jr. in a 12 round unanimous decision at the MGM Grand Arena on April 9, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Pacquio captured the WBO International Welterweight Title. AFP PHOTO / John GURZINSKI Photo credit should read JOHN GURZINSKI/AFP via Getty Images

Manny Pacquiao, the only fighter to win world titles in eight divisions in the history of boxing, officially announced his retirement at the age of 42.

PacMan Retires at 42

Manny Pacquiao hanged his glove and left the ring to shift his focus on the upcoming presidential elections in the Philippines after he considered becoming a full-time politician.

According to CBS Sports, Manny "PacMan" Pacquiao thanked everyone who had been part of his journey in the world of boxing before hanging his gloves. The Filipino icon mentioned his retirement in a 14-minute, 20-second video posted to his verified Facebook account on Tuesday night.

"To the greatest fans and the greatest sport in the world, thank you! Thank you for all the wonderful memories. This is the hardest decision I've ever made, but I'm at peace with it. Chase your dreams, work hard, and watch what happens. Goodbye boxing."

"I am announcing my retirement. Goodbye, boxing," Pacquiao said

The Legend of Manny "PacMan" Pacquiao

The decision of Pacquiao came after his announcement last week of his candidacy for the 2022 presidential election in the Philippines. Currently, he has been serving as a senator for his country for more than five years already.

The announcement, delivered by Pacquiao during a press conference Wednesday morning from the Philippines, brought an end to the legendary 26-year pro career of Pacquiao that started in 1995.

Pacquiao or Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao Sr. was a 16-year-old when he entered professional boxing at 106 pounds. After being on the radar of boxing promoters in the Western hemisphere, his lightning-quick southpaw eventually took his talents to the U.S. for the first time in 2011. He joined forces with Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach, which resulted in an upset of Lehlo Ledwaba via sixth-round TKO for the IBF junior featherweight title as a late replacement in Las Vegas.

The legendary pro boxing career of Pacquaio was tested by many legendary boxers. Pacquiao faced the likes of Oscar "Golden Boy" Dela Hoya, Marco Antonio "Baby Face Assassin" Barrera, Juan Manuel "Dinamita" Marquez, Ricky Hatton, and Floyd "Money" Mayweather, but he ended up successful throughout the years.

The Filipino legend also proved to everyone that he was on a different level after becoming the only boxer to win world titles in eight divisions. The feat is considered by some sports analysts as impossible to break because it is too difficult for a boxer to perform at a high level, especially once there would be changes in their weight and size. They emphasized that the change in the weight also decreases the speed of the boxer, which was not apparent for PacMan throughout his reigns.

Pacquiao last fought in August when he ended a two-year layoff in a decision loss to late replacement and WBA welterweight champion Yordenis Ugas in their pay-per-view bout.

Pacquiao would be finishing his boxing career with a professional career record of 62 wins, eight losses, and two draws with 39 wins via KOs.

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Written by: Jess Smith

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