Manny Pacquiao has recalled the pre-fight routine which, in his view, contributed to him retiring from the sport.
At the start of the decade, the Filipino was coming off a pair of points victories over Keith Thurman and Adrien Broner, successfully defending his WBA world title on both occasions.
In doing so, he was widely regarded as one of the leading fighters at 147lbs, only to then experience over two years of inactivity following his closely-contested encounter with Thurman.
Upon his return, Pacquiao may have been forgiven for facing a less formidable opponent, but he instead attempted to defend his title against Yordenis Ugas.
With many believing he had done enough to defeat Shawn Porter, who ultimately edged their 2019 showdown by split decision, Ugas certainly represented a tough night’s work for any fighter.
As it happened, this proved to be the case against Pacquiao, who lost their contest by margins of 115-113 and 116-112, twice, on the judges’ scorecards.
In an interview with Inside the Ring, though, ‘Pac Man’ has claimed that his preparation for Ugas was far from ideal.
“[For] the Ugas fight, we did a routine that we did not usually do before [a] fight. That’s what happened to me – cramping in both legs.
“Before the fight, we did the massage machine. In the fight, I was cramping, could not move. [It was] the first time in my career [that happened].”
Ugas went on to face Errol Spence Jr in a unification clash the following year, suffering a 10th-round stoppage defeat after giving a terrific account of himself.
Pacquiao, meanwhile, sailed into retirement and was involved in a couple exhibition matches, before returning to the sport and boxing to a draw against then-WBC world welterweight champion Mario Barrios last July. He will, if all goes to plan, face Floyd Mayweather in a rematch this September.
