Charles Teves
Eight division world champion and currently the WBA welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao has denied revealing to Top Rank’s CEO Bob Arum that he would run for the presidency in the 2022 Philippine national elections.
“As far as I know, we never talked about politics. The last time we talked on Zoom, Bob discussed possible fight schedules, but never about politics. Our discussion was all about boxing,” said Pacquiao in a statement on Monday.
“This is not the time for politics. The country has so much problems, what we need is unity and cooperation in order to mitigate the difficulties of our countrymen. We need to unite. Let’s unite so we can help our countrymen. Many have lost their jobs, especially overseas Filipino workers. Politics is not what we need now.” Pacquiao added.
This news of him running for the presidency drew mixed reactions, but most of the tweets suggest that there were more people who did not like the idea.
you know what's disappointing? pacquiao could actually win the presidency.
— kel (@kelanocyte) June 8, 2020
Pacquiao for president my ass i do not condone this homophobe who compared LGTBQA+ to dogs, not in my gay house
— COMMS CLOSED (@Ozumii_Wizard) June 8, 2020
Manny Pacquiao I respect you as a boxer, but no I won't let you be the President of this country.
— Ako to si Natoy ⟭⟬ ⁷ (Deactivated for a while) (@kekekepjjang) June 8, 2020
Ok whoever will vote for Pacquiao in the 2022 elections, I shall banish you to the ends of the dark abyss for being a blind clown. You guys really think that he could be competent enough to become our president? Open your eyes and minds people
— ♅ (@Matuy_) June 8, 2020
PACQUIAO IS RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT IN 2022??? HAS THE WORLD GONE INSANE?? IS THIS FOR REAL???
— jeno loves you (@lettersfornomin) June 8, 2020
https://twitter.com/justreena_/status/1270290033556086784?s=20
Manny Pacquiao? Will run for president? What’s he gonna do, box this government to death???????
— nash (@bharwaninash) June 8, 2020
i do understand that manny pacquiao did some shit for our country BUT THAT DOESNT MEAN HE IS QUALIFIED TO BE OUR NEXT PRESIDENT!!!!
— ishia (@yexiaaaaa) June 8, 2020
This country is a joke if we elect Pacquiao as president only for the reason of being famous. HAVE HIGH STANDARDS, PEOPLE. We are better than this.
— blue. (@hans_dayag) June 8, 2020
https://twitter.com/Joannaaaabanana/status/1269839921612644354?s=20
Arum previously told WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman in a video interview that Pacquiao even asked him to show up at the inauguration.
“The first president I think we’ll get as a fighter is little Manny Pacquiao, who told me, once again. I did a Zoom telephone call with him, ‘Bob, I’m gonna run in 2022 and, when I win, I want you there at my inauguration,'” Arum said.
Rumors of Pacquiao intending to run for the position of Commander in Chief in 2022 began spreading a year ago but had denied this too, saying that his main plan was to form his own political party.
One of the biggest wins in his boxing career was back on July 20, 2019, when he beat the Keith Thurman for the world title in a twelve round decision at the ripe age of forty. His defense has been temporarily halted by the pandemic but his boxing coach Freddie Roach stated that Pacquiao is looking to fight someone ‘big’. That certain someone would most likely be one of the most destructive middleweight of all time, Gennady Golovkin (GGG), who was also the pound-for-pound king in 2017.
“But the thing is, Manny might wanna go a little bit higher and fight GGG or one of those guys who’s supposed to be the best guy in the world today because Pacquiao still desires to be the best there is,” said Roach.
GGG’s past opponents and sparring partners described his punching power as that of a heavyweight, and arguably never lost since he was robbed twice by Canelo Alvarez, according to a great number of boxing fans. If the fight ever happens, it would most probably be at catchweight.
