The Filipino folk hero Manny Pacquiao is finally drawn from the boxing ring to big politics.
The 42-year-old is officially running for president in the Southeast Asian country next year, Pacquiao announced on Sunday, ending months of speculation.
"The time has come, we are ready for this challenge," said Pacquiao in Manila.
The multiple world champion has declared war on the corruption of the political elite, and is now a loud critic of the controversial President Rodrigo Duterte, who is not allowed to run for another term.
He had named Pacquiao as chairman of the ruling party PDP-Laban in 2020, but an inner-party dispute has now broken out.
Pacquiao will therefore stand for his PDP wing, the other side had recently nominated Senator Christopher Go as a presidential candidate and Duterte as a runner-up.
Pacquiao is very popular in his homeland.
From a poor background he managed to become a multi-millionaire.
In his career he was world champion in seven different weight classes.
In August, the boxer returned to the ring after two years, but was defeated by Cuban WBA champion Yordenis Ugas in Las Vegas.
“To all those who ask me about my abilities and strengths,” he called out to his followers on Sunday: “Have you ever been hungry?
Do you know what it is like to have nothing to eat, to have to borrow money from your neighbors, to wait behind a restaurant for the leftovers?
The Manny Pacquiao that stands before you was shaped by poverty. "
The top athlete is not a newcomer to politics.
He has been a member of the House of Representatives since 2010 and was elected to the Senate in 2016.