Pacquiao's toughest fight is in the political ring

The 31-year-old Filipino who dominated Clottey Saturday 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 Saturday after beating Clottey by a unanimous 12-round decision at Cowboys Stadium. “I want to help the people especially in my place.”

Ask 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.

Pacquiao's win over Clottey, combined with a Mayweather defeat of Shane Mosley on May 1 would set the stage for negotiations to resume for a Pacquiao-Mayweather mega bout. A Pacquiao-Mayweather fight is one of the most anticipated ever and could be the biggest payday in boxing history with conservative estimates of 35 million dollars for each fighter. Talks for the fight fell through when Mayweather insisted on Olympic style drug testing which Pacquiao refused to accept.

The Texas group that regulated Saturday's first ever boxing card at Cowboys Stadium said there would be no steroid testing before or after the Clottey fight.

Pacquiao's promoter Bob Arum said Saturday that Mayweather should leave the question of drug testing up to the state commission where the fight is being held.

“Drug testing is not for a fighter to use in negotiating,” Arum said. “We believe Mayweather raised that issue to duck fighting Manny Pacquiao and if we are wrong then let him sign a regular contract.”

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