The “PacMan” excelled in the boxing ring. Now, he will be slugging it out for the presidency of his home country.
Manny Pacquiao was nominated to run for president of the Philippines in 2022 by a faction of the nation’s ruling party, PDP-Laban, according to the BBC. Pacquiao, 42, received the nomination during the national assembly of his party’s wing on Sunday, Inquirer.net reported.
Pacquiao, currently a senator in the Philippines, was declared as the presidential candidate of PDP-Laban during the national assembly of his wing on Sunday. Another faction of the party nominated Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go and current President Rodrigo Duterte for president and vice president, the newspaper reported.
Duterte is barred from another term as president, according to the BBC.
“I’m a fighter and will always be a fighter, inside and outside of the ring,” Pacquiao said in a statement. “All my life, I haven’t backed down from any fight. Nothing is impossible if it’s ordained by God.”
Pacquiao is the only boxer to hold world titles in eight different divisions. He owns a 62-8-2 record with 39 knockouts, according to ESPN. In his last fight, Pacquiao lost a unanimous decision last month in Las Vegas to WBA super welterweight champion Yordenis Ugas.
Pacquiao has been a senator since 2016 and also served as a congressman, according to Bloomberg.