Manny Pacquiao officially retires from boxing

Manny Pacquiao is hanging his gloves for good.

Boxing's only eight-division world champion on Wednesday announced his retirement from the sport, leaving behind 26 years of colorful career that saw him emerge as one the best in his field.

"To the greatest fans and the greatest sport in the world, thank you! Thank you for all the wonderful memories," he said in a tweet.

"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."

The 42-year-old southpaw marked his return to the ring after two years---and what turned out to be his last fight---last August when he fell to Yordenis Ugas in their WBA welterweight championship showdown.

Following the 12-round bout, Pacquiao only said he'd decide on the fate of his boxing career after he had taken his rest and once he decided to run for presidency in the upcoming May 2022 elections.

He recently announced that he is running in next year's polls as the next executive chief and said in one of his interviews that he has indeed called it quits.

In a separate interview with GMA News Online last September 21, his political ally and spokesperson Monico Puentevella made clarifications that Pacquiao has yet to officially retire.

Considered a boxing icon, Pacquiao has a win-draw-loss record of 62-8-2 where 39 of his victories came from knockouts.

He has beaten fellow legends like Mexicans Juan Manuel Marquez, Marco Antonio Barrera, and Erik Morales and American Oscar De La Hoya. One of his biggest fights was against Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2015 in which he lost via unanimous decision. — LA, GMA News