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Manny Pacquiao has announced that he will be joining a charity marathon in Japan this week.
The Filipino boxing legend was referring to his foundation’s Manny Pacquiao Charity Marathon, which is reportedly scheduled to be held at the City Football Station in Iwafune Sports Park, Tochigi City on May 22.
Speaking in a mix of Filipino and English, ‘PacMan’ said in a Facebook video:
“Hello everyone, to my fellow Filipinos in Japan as well as to my Japanese fans, I hope to see you soon in Tokyo, Japan. I will run there (in a) marathon.”
Watch Pacquiao’s video announcement here:
The charity run includes a three-km, five-km and ten-km route. Pacquiao will reportedly take the five-km course.
This will be the 43-year-old boxing legend’s first public appearance since failing in his Philippine presidential bid earlier this month. He ranked third in the presidential race with over 3.6 million votes based on partial and unofficial tally.
The event, according to a report from Philippine broadcast giant ABS-CBN, is intended to raise funds “with the purpose of assisting disaster recovery in the Philippines.”
According to its official website, the Manny Pacquiao Foundation was “built from Manny's commitment to giving back and fighting for those less fortunate.” Its main goals on the global scale include building homes, supporting the youth and providing COVID-19 relief. So far, the Manny Pacquiao Foundation has built over 300 homes in the Philippines across three different locations.
Will Manny Pacquiao return to the boxing ring?
Pacquiao’s recent lost in the Philippine presidential race fueled speculation about his possible return to the squared circle.
Boxing’s only eight-division world champion retired from following a defeat to Cuban Yordenis Ugas in 2021. The same year, he announced his decision to seek the highest seat in the archipelagic country.
Shortly after Pacquiao admitted defeat in the Philippine election, World Boxing News reported that talks on the Filipino boxing icon’s return to the ring have already begun.
The news site suggested that the boxer-turned-politician will need money after spending a lot on his ambitious presidential run. It added that rumors of a fight in Las Vegas are "already in the pipeline."
Pacquiao is yet to announce his future plans for boxing and politics. Although he is now far from the fighter that he used to be, he remains one of the biggest attractions in boxing today, and his return to the boxing ring will surely garner so much hype and attention.
