Filipino boxing great Manny Pacquiao hinted at the possibility of running for the highest public office in the Philippines once he hangs up his gloves, the Agence France-Presse reported.
In an exclusive interview with AFP, Pacquiao, who is currently the representative of Saranggani province in the Philippine Congress, was asked if he has plans to run for Philippine presidency and he answered with a quick "Yes".
Pacquiao also compared the trail of his boxing career to his political career, saying that when he entered boxing, he aspired to be a champion. The same is true when he was elected as congressman, saying that he thought about the possibility of becoming the highest government official in the Philippines.
"When I started boxing, of course I was planning and thinking about getting to become a champion. So when I entered politics it's the same thing. But, you know, it's far away. It's God's will," Pacquiao added.
Pacquiao's declaration spread like a wildfire in his country and earned criticisms with most of his countrymen saying that he should just focus on his boxing career.
Vittorio Hernandez of the International Business Times expects that Pacquiao will be hit by his critics for his frequent absences in the House of Representatives and poor command of the English language.
If he decides to run for presidency in the 2016 Philippine election, his academic stature will be highly questioned as well because he has only finished high school, although having a college degree is not a requirement for presidential hopefuls.
Interaksyon, a local news website in the Philippines, also reported that most of his colleagues in the House of Representatives are against the plan of the Filipino boxing great.
Speaker of the House Feliciano Belmonte said that Pacquiao should eye a senate spot before running for presidency.
As friendly advice to his co-representative, Belmonte said that Pacquiao should aspire for a senate seat first to gain experience in the political arena.
Pacquiao, whose wife, Jinkee, was also elected as the vice governor of their province in the May elections in the Philippines, is scheduled to fight American slugger Brandon Rios on November 24 in Macau.
The Rios bout could be the make or break moment of Pacquiao's boxing and political career - a win will definitely imply that he should focus on boxing and a loss could signal the end of his illustrious boxing career.