Manny
Pacquiao, arguably one of the greatest professional boxers of all time, returns
to the ring on Sunday midnight (6:30 am IST) after a two-year-long hiatus. Pacquiao
will be up against Yordenis Ugas for the WBA welterweight championship at the
T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada. While the 42-year-old boxer is yet to make
a final declaration, his fans around the world expect this fight to tbe one of
the final chapters of Pacquiao’s boxing story.

After a
26-year-long professional career, Manny Pacquiao now has plans and ambitions that
reach far beyond the game. The legendary boxer is expected to throw his hat in
the Philippines presidential race a few weeks later. That, his fans realise,
will potentially prevent him from ever fighting again.

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Manny Pacquiao,
the only eighth-division champion in boxing history and a senator in the
Philippines, will look to reclaim a world title against Yordenis Ugas, who was
awarded the WBA (super) title in January. Pacquiao held the title till July
2019 after a split-decision victory over Keith Thurman but was stripped of it
due to inactivity.

“I never
imagined what I would have accomplished in boxing from the beginning of my
career leading up to now,” Pacquiao told the Associated Press. “I went from
nothing to something in order to be an inspiration for people both inside and
outside the ring.”

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Manny
Pacquiao faces much stiffer odds in his latest political ambition than he does
in the ring. Pacquiao (62-7-2, 39 Kos) is a solid favourite against Yordenis
Ugas (26-4, 12 Kos), the cagey Cuban veteran boxer.

“I feel
young right now,” Pacquiao said adding that he is just happy with what he is
doing because boxing is his passion. “I enjoy training camp, and I was excited
to sacrifice and disciplined every day to prepare for a fight like this.”

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When Manny
Pacquiao fought Keith Thurman last, his power and speed hadn’t diminished
significantly. If he shows up against Ugas with the same combination of skills,
it likely would be too much for the man who holds the belt Pacquiao took from
Thurman in 2019 before the WBA abruptly awarded it to Ugas earlier this year.  

(With
inputs from Associated Press)