Manny Pacquiao announced Sunday that he will be running for Philippine president in the 2022 election.
The Associated Press reports the 42-year-old boxer accepted the nomination during the national assembly of the PDP-Laban Party.
“I am a fighter and I will always be a fighter inside and outside the ring. In my whole life, I have not backed out of a fight,” Pacquiao said during his acceptance speech. “Because in the name of principle, the nation’s pride, I stand reaffirmed and strong. I am accepting your nomination as candidate for president of the Republic of the Philippines.”
Meanwhile, Pacquiao took to Twitter on Sunday to urge his followers to endorse him as a candidate for change.
“We need progress,” he wrote. “We need to win against poverty. We need government to serve our people with integrity, compassion, and transparency. The time is now. I am ready to rise to the challenge of leadership.”
The announcement arrives less than a month after Pacquiao lost via unanimous decision to WBA super welterweight champion Yordenis Ugas in an August bout in Las Vegas.
Should that be his final fight in a boxing ring, Pacquiao would finish his career with a record of 62-8-2, with 39 knockouts.
