Boxing great Manny Pacquiao was yesterday proclaimed as one of the winners of Philippine Senate seats, bringing him closer to a possible crack at the presidency.
At the proclamation ceremony, an election official introduced Pacquiao as the “people’s champion” and called out his name in the same cadence that he is introduced in the boxing ring, drawing cheers from the audience.
The 37-year-old Filipino slugger garnered more than 16 million votes for seventh place among 12 winning senators in the recent elections.
Earlier this year, he said that he planned to retire from boxing to become a full-time politician.
Pacquiao is considered a hero in the country that grinds to a halt so people can root for him during his televised fights. He has indicated in the past he would consider a run for the presidency but he has tried to ditch the topic, saying he was too young.
During his senatorial campaign, Pacquiao bounced back impressively after a huge drop in support from his remarks in February that people in same-sex relations are “worse than animals.”
The Bible-quoting candidate apologized to people hurt by his comments but made clear he opposed same-sex marriage.
Philippine President Benigno Aquino III revealed in April that the Abu Sayyaf militant group considered abducting Pacquiao, along with the president’s sister, who is a wealthy and popular actress. Despite the warning, Pacquiao continued to openly campaign with few visible escorts in the south region where the militants are based.
Pacquiao came from an impoverished family and had worked odd jobs before lacing up the gloves at the age of 12. He rose steadily and became a champion in eight boxing divisions then one of the world’s most celebrated and wealthiest athletes.
He has represented Sarangani province in the Philippine House of Representatives since May 2010, but he has been criticized for seldom showing up.
A sumo star was born in Japan on Sunday when 24-year-old Takerufuji became the first wrestler in 110 years to win a top-division tournament on his debut, triumphing at the 15-day Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka despite injuring his ankle on the penultimate day. Takerufuji, whose injury had left him in a wheelchair outside the ring, shoved out the higher-ranked Gonoyama at the Edion Arena Osaka to the delight of the crowd, giving him an unassailable record of 13 wins and two losses to claim the Emperor’s Cup. “I did it just through willpower. I didn’t really know what was going
The US’ Ilia Malinin on Saturday produced six scintillating quadruple jumps, including a quadruple Axel, in the men’s free skate to capture his first figure skating world title. The 19-year-old nicknamed the “Quad god,” who is the only skater to land a quadruple Axel in competition, dazzled with an array of breathtakingly executed jumps starting with his quad Axel and including a quadruple Lutz in combination with a triple flip and a quadruple toe loop in combination with a triple toe. He added an unexpected triple-triple combination at the end to earn a world-record 227.79 in the free program for a championship
Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter is being criminally investigated by the IRS, and the attorney for his alleged bookmaker said Thursday that the ex-Los Angeles Dodgers employee placed bets on international soccer — but not baseball. The IRS confirmed Thursday that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the alleged illegal bookmaker, are under criminal investigation through the agency’s Los Angeles Field Office. IRS Criminal Investigation spokesperson Scott Villiard said he could not provide additional details. Mizuhara, 39, was fired by the Dodgers on Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and debts well
MLB on Friday announced a formal investigation into the scandal swirling around Shohei Ohtani and his former interpreter amid charges that the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar was the victim of “massive theft.” The Dodgers on Wednesday fired Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani’s long-time interpreter and close friend, after Ohtani’s representatives alleged that the Japanese two-way star had been the victim of theft, which was reported to involve millions of dollars and link Mizuhara to a suspected illegal bookmaker in California. “Major League Baseball has been gathering information since we learned about the allegations involving Shohei Ohtani and Ippei Mizuhara from the news media,” MLB