Manny Pacquiao (left), seen here fighting Cuban Yordenis Ugas in Las Vegas in August 2021
Image: AP
He is the only boxer to have become world champion in eight weight classes. Manny Pacquiao now wants to become President of the Philippines. It is not undisputed: homosexuals, he once said, are “worse than animals”.
E.In sport, a “wildcard” is the name given to the athletes and teams being allowed to take part in a tournament, even though they are actually not qualified for it. The name “Wildcard Gym” is also above the entrance to the empty gym, with which Manny Pacquiao’s farewell video begins. The camera moves towards an abandoned boxing ring to the accompaniment of solemn violin music. These are symbolic images with which the Filipino boxing legend says goodbye to professional sport. After a cut, “Pacman” appears himself. “Today I announce my departure. I never thought that day would come, ”says the forty-two year old, who is the only boxer in history to become world champion in eight different weight classes. Pacquiao says: “When I hang up my boxing gloves, I want to thank the whole world … Goodbye boxing!”
It is the farewell of an exceptional athlete. His record: 62 wins, eight defeats, two draws. 39 of his victories even by Ko Now Pacquiao has another title in mind. The boxer wants to become President of the Philippines and inherit the 76-year-old public official Rodrigo Duterte. In a way, he’s following in the footsteps of the former mayor of Davao. Pacquiao presents himself as an outsider who really wants to clean up the corrupt elite, as someone who will do good, even if at first glance he is not qualified for the job. For the ballot in May 2022, he has now registered with the electoral commission as the first candidate. He wants to “give the Filipino people a better future,” he says. “Especially those who have been suffering for a long time.”
.