Manny Pacquiao has announced he will run for president of the Philippines in 2022 in a move that could signal the end of his boxing career.
Pacquiao last fought in August when he lost to Cuban Yordenis Ugas, and aged 42 it has been suggested that he had at most one more fight before focusing full time on Filipino politics, where he is already a senator.
Pacquiao has been nominated as the presidential candidate by his faction of the PDP-Laban Party, with the party’s other faction nominating Christopher ‘Bong’ Go as their candidate, though current president Rodrigo Duterte is to run on the ticket for vice president, which may see him remain de facto leader if elected.
"I am a fighter, and I will always be a fighter inside and outside the ring," he said in a live-streamed event.
"I am accepting your nomination as candidate for president of the Republic of the Philippines."
If Pacquiao were to commit full time to campaigning and then succeeded in becoming president, it would almost certainly mean that he would have no further time to take part in any further boxing events, and regardless of the outcome the disappointing performance he put in against Ugas may have convinced him now is the time to retire.