Boxing Star Manny Pacquiao Running For President In The Philippines

Philippine boxing star Manny Pacquiao will be making a run for president of his country in next year's election.

What Happened: Pacquiao, 42, is a senator in the Philippines' parliament and has accepted the nomination of a faction of the ruling party, PDP-Laban. He has pledged to campaign against poverty and corruption, although it is not clear which of the PDP-Laban factions will be recognized by the country's electoral commission for the 2022 election.

Incumbent Rodrigo Duterte is barred from another term but has been picked by a rival party faction to run for vice-president, alongside a close ally, Christopher "Bong" Go, but Go says he does not want to succeed Duterte.

What’s Next: "I am a fighter and I will always be a fighter inside and outside the ring. In my whole life, I have not backed out of a fight,” Pacquiao said during his acceptance speech. “Because in the name of principle, the nation's pride, I stand reaffirmed and strong."

Pacquiao also has a warning for Philippine government officials accused of corruption. "Your time is up! We gave you a chance, but you failed us. We waited for a long time, decades have passed, but nothing happened," he said.

The eight-division world boxing champion lost in a unanimous decision to WBA super welterweight champion Yordenis Ugas last month in Las Vegas. Pacquiao was among the world’s highest-paid athletes in 2019, according to Forbes.

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