Manny Pacquiao's spokesperson clarifies that boxing icon has not officially retired

Senator Manny Pacquiao's spokesperson and political ally, Monico Puentevella, clarified that while the boxing champion will be busy with preparations for his Eleksyon 2022 presidential bid, that doesn't mean he has officially retired from the sport.

Puentevella, a former Bacolod mayor and chief of the country's weightlifting association, said that Pacquiao, who recently announced that he's running to become the country's next chief executive, has yet to make a final decision on whether he will hang his gloves for good.

"[He's] not yet [retiring from boxing] because he doesn't talk about boxing anymore," Puentevella told GMA News Online on Tuesday.

"He's really busy thinking about how to win [the Presidential election] and how to help people. He really wants to change the system. His focus right now is on helping the poor and running the country, boxing is not part of our conversations right now."

Pacquiao, boxing's only eight-division world champion, was coming off an upset loss to Yordenis Ugas in their WBA welterweight championship showdown last August 22 and questions about his retirement were quickly raised.

He, however, did not give a definite answer but said he'll take his time before making a final decision on whether his storied boxing career has finally reached its end and whether he'll run for presidency.

Almost a month after that bout, Pacquiao accepted his party's nomination to be their presidential candidate for the upcoming elections. On the same day, a interview of his was uploaded on actress Toni Gonzaga's channel where he said his boxing career was over.

But Puentevella said that the 42-year-old pug has yet to officially call it a career and said the results of next year's polls could vastly affect his future boxing decisions.

"It really depends on the next chapters of his life, which is the election. Personally, I think if he becomes the next president, then we have probably seen his last fight in August," Puentevalla added.

"But for now, he's not yet retiring. He's just concentrating on his run right now."

—JMB, GMA News