Boxer Manny Pacquiao announces his candidacy for the presidency of the Philippines
The boxer made the decision to run for office a few weeks after his last professional fight.
The boxer Manny Pacquiao announced his candidacy for the presidency of the Philippines in the 2022 elections, putting an end to months of speculation about his political future.
"The time has come, we are ready to face the challenge," declared the Filipino boxing star, 42, who has accepted to be a candidate of a dissident faction of President Rodrigo Duterte's party.
Pacquiao is the only boxer to have been a world champion in eight different weight categories, and he is an endless source of pride for Filipinos.
The boxer made the decision to run for office a few weeks after his last professional fight, when he was defeated on August 22 in Las Vegas by Cuban Yordenis Ugas.
Manny Pacquiao entered politics in 2010, when he was elected as a congressman, before becoming a senator in 2016. He has generated controversies for his statements in favor of the death penalty and hostile towards homosexuality.