The Wall Street Journal: “Manny Pacquiao for President in the Philippines?”

When Filipino boxing legend Manny Pacquiao announced recently that his next fight would be against vegan boxer Tim Bradley – disappointing fans who are holding out hope for a Pacquiao v. Floyd Mayweather Jr. showdown – he hinted he would consider retirement soon.  Now, fans in his home base of the Philippines are wondering: What’s his plan if he does leave the ring for good?

The ultimate prize, at least according to some of his biggest fans: The presidency.

Already his country’s most famous lawmaker, Mr. Pacquiao was elected to the Philippines Congress in 2010, and he is widely revered in the country as more than just a boxer, but a national hero. At a press conference announcing his June 9 fight with Mr. Bradley – which will be Pacquiao’s 60^th bout – the Filipino boxer said he would consider retirement in November. So it was hardly a surprise that fans and a few boxing experts guessed he was thinking of bigger things in the political ring, and ultimately Pacquiao for President in 2022, the year when he will be eligible to run for the country’s highest office.

“If Pacquiao lose(s) badly against Bradley, he might just retire,” said Dong Secuya, the owner of Philippine boxing portal Philboxing.com. “Pacquiao is a made man… and will run for an executive position in the next election. He has reached a point where he has outgrown boxing itself and he can just leave the sport at any time.”

Some other sports analysts are more convinced Mr. Pacquiao will trounce Mr. Bradley in June – and that he should stay in the ring for a while longer if he wants to have a fighting chance to someday win the country’s top office.

Ronnie Nathanielsz, a veteran sports analyst, said if Mr. Pacquiao is eyeing a position as high as the presidency, he will need to keep fighting to earn “the money he would need to fund a campaign for higher office… and to keep winning and keeping his name in the consciousness of Filipinos, who, by nature, love a winner.”

Having started his career at just 16, Mr. Pacquiao now has 17 years of boxing under his belt, and eight world titles – something that fans say will undoubtedly weigh in his mind as he decides what to focus his energies on. Though some say the boxer is still in his prime, they worry that their idol might be hit and injured more as he grows older, risking his cult-status within his country and the world.

“Pacquiao should retire while he is on top. He has saved a lot of money,” said Danilo Condevillamar, a taxi driver in Cebu.

Mr. Pacquiao, at times, has ducked direct questions about his long-term political future. Last year, he said he would eventually run for vice president, but officials have said he will be too young to run in an expected vice-presidential race in 2016. A member of his staff told The Wall Street Journal that Mr. Pacquiao would run for governor in Sarangani province in the next election in 2013.

It’s also far from clear whether Filipinos would elect him to a big national office, despite his massive popularity. Indeed, his political record isn’t as spectacular as his boxing one, having lost an earlier election in 2007, when he ran for office against a powerful local incumbent and was defeated by a substantial margin.

“I don’t know how far his popularity would go” in a big national election, said Ramon Casiple, a political analyst and director at the Institute for Political and Electoral Reform in the Philippines. “He is still seen by many as a boxing hero.”

His appeal to voters, Mr. Casiple says, is his Robin Hood-like image, in which he “has the money and gives it to the people,” improving their lives with his own personal wealth. But for something like the presidency, with much bigger responsibilities, analysts say pork barrel politics are less likely to work.

Increasingly, the boxer has surrounded himself with seasoned politicians as advisers who could help him punch above his weight in pursuing a more serious political career. In interviews, he has spoken about a desire to help people and rein in corruption in the country.

“For now, he is a raw politician,” said Mr. Casiple. “But who knows, 2022 is really far away.”

Whatever happens, Mr. Pacquiao’s fans are also still very focused on his in-the-ring prospects. In addition to June’s showdown between Mr. Bradley and Mr. Pacquiao, many supporters are still holding out hope for a potential fight between “Pacman” and the only boxer many believe can match him, Mr. Mayweather.

Speaking at a press conference last week, Mr. Pacquiao himself said: “My kids request me: ‘Dad, I want you to retire, but before, you have to fight Mayweather and beat him,’” the Associated Press reported.

The two fighters have consistently blamed each other, along with disagreements over splitting revenue, for the fight’s repeated postponement. If it does happen, it could be the richest fight in boxing history.

http://on.wsj.com/xK6THJ

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