MANILA, Philippines ? The Philippines’ boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao will soon have a 1 win, 1 loss record in his political fights.
The World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight champion on Tuesday evening widened his lead over rival Roy Chiongbian for the lone congressional seat in his wife’s home province of Sarangani.
Pacquiao is confident of an impending win in his second attempt at becoming an honorable member of the House of Representatives.
As of 10 p.m. Tuesday, the boxing sensation had garnered 56,810 votes against Chiongbian?s 28,506.
The votes were tallied from precincts in the towns of Maasin, Maitum, Alabel and Malapatan municipalities.
In 2007, the 31-year-old fighter lost to incumbent South Cotabato Rep. Darlene Antonino-Custodio. This year, Pacquiao chose to run in another district.
The Provincial Board of Canvassers earlier planned to proclaim the winners by Tuesday afternoon. However, problems regarding the transmission of results from the towns of Kiamba, Malungon and Glan hampered the canvassing.
The Board of Canvassers will continue its tally Wednesday morning.
Friends of the boxer said Pacquiao was already preparing a victory party.
Top boxing promoter Bob Arum, who visited the Philippines during the campaign, said that even if Pacquiao was elected, he still believes he can still convince his ward to fight American boxer Floyd Mayweather.
“I believe that the fight will happen as early as November this year,” the founder of Las Vegas-based Top Rank promotion said.
Arum said he hopes to introduce the Philippine boxer as “Congressman Manny Pacquiao” during his next match.
Both Pacquiao and Mayweather have been called the best pound-for-pound boxers in the world, and a bout between them is expected to bring in the biggest paychecks in history.
But negotiations for a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight fell through earlier in the year when the American insisted on Olympic-style drug testing, which the Filipino rejected as too intrusive before a bout.
Pacquiao will establish the record of being the first active boxer to become a Philippine congressman. – With reports from Jay Dayupay, ABS-CBN Soksargen and Agence France-Presse
