Duterte claims Pacquiao backed out of fight due to fear of losing

President Rodrigo Duterte falsely claimed that Senator Manny Pacquiao backed out of an upcoming boxing match due to fear of losing, stating the boxer is "too old for that."

Duterte alleged that Pacquiao is a "goner" if he loses his boxing match, citing the boxer's age and stating that Pacquiao knew he had no future should he lose.

Pacquiao refuted the President's claim, stating that his fight is indeed pushing through and he was scheduled to depart that weekend.

However, Pacquiao is facing a lawsuit filed by Paradigm Sports Management for breach of contract, with the CEO negotiating for him to fight Mikey Garcia.

Despite the lawsuit, Pacquiao's promoter assured that the welterweight title unification bout against Errol Spence Jr. on Aug. 21 will push through.

The boxer-senator criticized Duterte for focusing on their personal spat amidst the ongoing crisis brought by the phreatomagmatic eruption of Taal Volcano.