Is It Time for Pacquiao to Retire? Shalom's Opinion

Ben Shalom, the head of Boxxer promotional company, commented on the exhibition bout of the legendary eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao (62-8-2, 39 KOs) against Japanese kickboxer Rukiya Anpo.

"I believe it's very tough for fighters. We saw it at the Olympics when athletes returned. You always remember Muhammad Ali and the damage his final fights did to his life. As a promoter, it's hard for me to talk about this, but if you have enough money, you should take care of your health.

I think this exhibition fight showed that it really should be the end, because strange things happened. As I said before, fighters are addicted to the thrill, which is very hard to find in the final years of a career," Shalom said.

On July 28 in Japan, an exhibition boxing match took place between 45-year-old Manny Pacquiao and Rukiya Anpo. Victory could only be achieved by knockout, but the fight went all three rounds, ending in a draw.

Pacquiao's next opponent might be Mario Barrios (29-2, 18 KOs), as announced by the president of the World Boxing Council (WBC) and advisor to Ready To Fight, Mauricio Sulaiman, in early July. He confirmed that the WBC would approve a fight between Manny Pacquiao and Mario Barrios for the welterweight (up to 66.7 kg) title.