Boxing

Manny Pacquiao Sends Scathing Message About 'Dirty' Political Career

Boxing icon Manny Pacquiao got blunt about whether he would return to politics.
Grant Young|
Hall of Fame boxing legend Manny Pacquiao on June 3, 2025.
Hall of Fame boxing legend Manny Pacquiao on June 3, 2025. | IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

Filipino boxing legend Manny Pacquiao's July 19, 2025 fight against Mario Barrios will mark the first time Pacquiao has fought in a professional bout since 2021, when he lost to Yordenis Ugas. However, even before his professional fighting career came to a halt a few years ago, Pacquiao had more than dipped his toes into the Philippines' political scene.

In May 2010, Pacquiao was elected to the House of Representatives in the 15th Congress of the Philippines. He held this role for three years, was re-elected in 2013 (he ran unopposed), and then remained in the House of Representatives for another three years.

However, given that Pacquiao was the top absentee among Filipino lawmakers and his filing fewer than 20 bills (with none of them passing beyond committee) during six years caused a lot of criticism from the media about the Pac Man being an irresponsible and largely poor politician.

But this didn't keep Pacquiao from running for the Filipino senate. And on May 19, 2016, Pacquiao was formally elected as a senator, a position he held until 2022.

While Pacquiao's politics and presence within the government were still largely criticized, his popularity among citizens kept him in this position. Pacquiao ultimately announced a presidential bid in 2021 but placed third in the 2022 election, thus ending his political career (at least for now).

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While Pacquiao still could try and return to a government position, a June 8 interview with TMZ suggests he had no intention of doing so.

"Zero in my mind about politics," Pacquaio said when asked about whether he plans to go back into politics at some point. Politics is so dirty. Politics is so dirty. I don't like that. I don't like that. When I was in politics, I wanted to serve honestly. I want to serve people because that's our legacy."

At least the boxing community can take solace in Pacquiao having his full focus on this upcoming fight against Barrios.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young is a Staff Writer for On SI’s Boxing, New York Mets, Indiana Fever, and Women’s Fastbreak sites. Before joining SI in 2024, he wrote for various boxing and sports verticals such as FanBuzz and NY Fights. Young has a bachelor’s degree in marketing and a master’s degree in creative writing with an emphasis on sports nonfiction from the University of San Francisco, where he played five seasons of Division 1 baseball. He fought Muay Thai professionally in Thailand in 2023, loves a good essay, and is driven crazy trying to handle a pitpull puppy named Aura. Young lives in San Diego and was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area.