MANNY PACQUIAO was proclaimed as a senator on Thursday in the Philippines.
Pacquiao is one of the most well known fighters in the world. His bout with Floyd Mayweather in 2015 was the most lucrative boxing event of all time. He fought as recently as April, outscoring Tim Bradley, which he announced as his final prizefight so he could concentrate on his political career.
Elections were held at the start of this month for 12 new Senators in the Philippines and Pacquiao won his seat with 16 million votes. He remains popular, weathering a storm of controversy after making homophobic remarks on the campaign trail.
Intriguingly he didn’t entirely rule out a return to the sport in some form. According to AP, when asked by reporters about the Olympic Games, Manny suggested, “I need to ask if the Filipino people will allow me to participate in the Olympics.”
A rule change would need to take place to allow professional boxers to enter the Olympics but that is indeed a recommendation that could be ratified by AIBA, the governing body for Olympic boxing, at the start of June.
