Manny Pacquiao turns to the crowd with his arms raised after his WBC welterweight world title fight against Mario Barrios at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.–Esther Lin/Premier Boxing Champions
HOLLYWOOD–Congressman? Senator? The only title Manny Pacquiao is after now can only be won inside the ring.
Pacquiao’s boxing career is back on track again, and he said political career is over–at least for now.
READ: Campaign, failed Senate bid robbed Pacquiao time to train
“Pac-Man is back and the journey will continue,” he declared after his comeback fight against Mario Barrios at MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas Saturday night.
“Politics? Forget about politics. I’m a private citizen right now.”
Politics hasn’t been kind to Pacquiao the last couple of times he threw his hat in the election ring.
Pacquiao ran for the Philippine presidency in 2022, finishing as a distant third just months after he retired from boxing.
He then failed in his bid for Senate reelection in the mid-term polls last May before confirming his comeback to challenge Barrios for his WBC welterweight belt.
READ: Famished, Manny Pacquiao stops at fastfood for express fix
The string of setbacks in the political scene led Pacquiao back to the sport he has loved since he was a kid.
“I want to live a simple life, giving inspiration. I’m still helping other people. That’s my heart to leave a legacy,” said Pacquiao, whose first foray into politics was back in 2010 as a representative of Sarangani.
As far as his legacy goes, Pacquiao has long cemented himself as one of the sport’s greatest.
Pacquiao, who turned pro in 1995 as a skinny 16-year-old light flyweight, is boxing’s only eight-division world champion–a record that may never be replicated–and was recently enshrined into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
READ: Pacquiao ready to rumble some more
His return only validated his stature despite being denied a victory and attempt at history in becoming the second oldest world champion.
“I want to create a legacy that I can leave behind when we’re gone because we’re not forever in this world. We’re just passing by,” said Pacquiao, who has been fighting since he was 12 years old as his way to help his family make a living.
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“As much as possible, while you still have the strength, the capacity to make a legacy, then make it. At the end of the day, you don’t regret it because that’s how people and the next generation will remember you.”
