His latest victory over Joshua Clottey now in the books, Manny Pacquiao faces a much tougher fight in the political ring.
The 31-year-old Filipino who dominated Clottey yesterday is hoping to make the transition from boxer to politician when he begins campaigning next month for a congressional seat in the Philippine national election.
If elected on May 10, he would preside over a poverty-stricken province of Saranggani on the southern island of Mindanao.
Pacquiao is considered the greatest pound-for-pound boxer in the world but he has his work cut out for him in the political theatre. He ran for Congress in 2007 but failed to get elected.
"I am going to take a one week rest and go back to the Philippines and start campaigning for my political career," Pacquiao said after beating Clottey by a unanimous 12-round decision at Cowboys Stadium. "I want to help the people, especially in my place."
Asked when he would fight again, Pacquiao said, "I don't know. I am going to decide that after the elections."
Pacquiao was so confident of beating Clottey that he scheduled a post-fight party across the street at the Texas Rangers ballpark where he planned to sing and entertain hundreds of guests.
Wearing dark glasses to hide the swelling around his eyes from absorbing hundreds of punches over 12 rounds, Pacquiao told reporters at a post-fight news conference that he plans to open the show with his own version of the Mexican folk song La Bamba.