MAASIM – Filipino boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao officially embarked on what could be the toughest fight of his life on Friday, this time in the voting booths instead of the ring.
Pacquiao, arguably the best pound for pound boxer in the world, launched his campaign for a congressional seat with a promise to fight for the poor in the impoverished southern province of Sarangani.
“Only a leader who comes from a poor family can feel and understand the plight of poor people,” Pacquiao said in a speech at a campaign rally after making the rounds accompanied by presidential candidate Senator Manny Villar.
The boxer came from a poor background in the south, and his patron Villar also rose from rags to riches from a Manila slum to become a real estate millionaire.
Barely two weeks after his latest boxing victory over Ghana’s Joshua Clottey, Pacquiao was undaunted by warnings that he faced tougher odds in the voting booths in May’s election.
“I am now ready for the election campaign,” he said. “I?ve made the preparations a long time ago and there?s no turning back.”
The fighter toured the towns of Sarangani, waving to the crowds through the sunroof of his car, with a beaming Villar standing beside him.
He has won his last 12 consecutive fights and now holds the World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title.
But political analysts say he will be in a for an uphill battle to win the seat, as he is running against a member of a wealthy, well-entrenched clan that has dominated politics in the area for decades.
Despite his fame, Pacquiao lost his first bid for a seat in Congress in 2007, getting knocked out by a well-entrenched opponent.
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