Manny Pacquiao is probably the next president of the Philippines

Manny Pacquiao is rightly one of the best boxers not only of today, but also of the history of boxing. It seemed that at the age he had found a second youth, becoming a world champion again. But the long break because of the pandemic influenced him: in August Manny lost practically without a chance to Jordenis Ugas.

However, not everyone knows that Manny is an experienced politician. Boxing hasn't stopped him from being a deputy for 13 years, and on May 9, 2022 he could take the highest office in the country. A few weeks ago the boxer headed the ruling FDP Laban party, and the current president, Rodrigo Roa Duterte, named him his successor.

Pacquiao has officially declared his candidacy for president of the Philippines. No one doubts his victory

In general, the situation with Pacquiao is unique in world history, because he could become the first reigning world champion to lead an independent state. Alas, he did not manage to leave the boxing beautifully. Manny has everything to become a good president - the experience in politics, authority and charisma. Already in 2007 he was elected deputy to the lower house of parliament, and in 2016 - a full-fledged senator.

The boxer has several charities that help those in need, and after the fight against Floyd Mayweather, in which the boxer received a record fee of $280 million, he built more than 1,000 homes for poor families in his hometown of Kibave, providing them with housing absolutely free!

"I'm very happy to have this opportunity to build these homes for my countrymen with the money from the fight against Floyd Mayweather. I've never forgotten where I come from, and I thank God for the opportunity to help other people," Manny explained the act.

For millions of Filipinos, his presidential ambitions are quite clear, but his former promoter Bob Arum, not he, has openly stated it:

"I contacted Pacquiao, he told me, 'Bob, I'm going to run in 2022. When I win, I want you to be at my inauguration." He's going to be the first presidential fighter in history."

Arum had been Pacquiao's promoter since 2005, and with him the boxer achieved the most significant successes and became a multimillionaire, but they did not part ways very nicely.

In the summer of 2017, the boxer went to Australia for a fight against Jeff Horn, where he was brazenly robbed: Manny dominated the fight, but all the judges incomprehensibly gave the victory to little-known Horn. The boxer sensibly reasoned that it all happened with Arum's direct involvement, after which Manny unilaterally terminated his contract.

Quite expectedly, Pacquiao then sharply refuted Arum's statement about his political ambitions:

"The last time we talked to Arum about boxing, we never touched on politics. Last time we talked to Arum about boxing, we never talked about politics.

But in the end Arum was right. A month after losing his fight against Ugas, Pacquiao officially ran for president of the country, and at the same time announced that he was ending his career as a boxer.

"My career? It's over, it's over. I've been boxing for a long time, my family says enough is enough. I continued to box because I'm really passionate about the sport. I will support other boxers from my country," Pacquiao said.

Manny began his professional career in the winter of 1995. During that time he has made a name for himself fighting legends of the ring: Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, Juan Manuel Marquez, Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Miguel Cotto, Antonio Margarito, Shane Moseley. This is just a small part of all the fighters he has defeated in the ring.

Of course, the fight against Floyd Mayweather, which took place in May 2015, stands out. Pacquiao lost by decision, but the fight was the most lucrative in boxing history, and Pacman himself received the biggest fee of his career, $120 million. The fight garnered a record 4.4 million PPV in boxing history.

In the last years of his career, Manny has had solid wins against Lucas Matthysse, Andrien Broner and Keith Thurman. After a two-year stoppage against Jordenis Ugas, Pacquiao was not like himself, failing to counter anything with smart boxing of an opponent in the style of Floyd Mayweather.

If Pacquiao wins the presidential election, he will become the first boxer in history to hold the highest office in the state.