Politics not yet on my mind - Pacquiao

BAGUIO CITY , Philippines  – Filipino boxing sensation Manny Pacquiao is not yet thinking of politics and has remained focused on winning over Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto in their World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight bout in November.

Pacquiao started his five-week training in the chilly highlands Monday morning with his coach Freddie Roach at the Cooyesan Hotel gym and the Sta. Lucia Estates golf course nearby.

Roach arrived before noon yesterday and went straight to the gym to supervise the conditioning of his ward.

After finishing his flat road run at the Burnham Park Lake oval yesterday morning, Pacquiao surveyed the golf course where he will do his road runs in the coming days. 

“This is more beautiful than Hollywood. This is nicer because you can see greens and trees which relax your mind,” he said, adding that the ruggedness of the terrain at the golf course is a boost to his training.

“I love it. It is beautiful. It is clean and the ring is nice,” Roach said, who had earlier expressed preference for Mexico.

Pacquiao will train here before moving to Las Vegas on the last two weeks of his training to conquer jet lag and to get acclimatized.

“There is altitude to play with. Training in LA is at sea level like Las Vegas, but here it is 5,000 feet above sea level,” Roach said.

Repeatedly asked on his political ambition, Pacquiao, who has been reportedly eyeing the congressional seat of Saranggani province in the 2010 polls, maintained that local politics is still far from his mind. 

“I have to focus. No politics yet so I won’t be distracted,” he said.

The 30-year-old pound-for-pound king admitted that he carries a huge responsibility of uplifting the spirits of more than 90 million Filipinos. 

“It’s a big responsibility to give honor to the country,” he said.

How he can be both a boxer and a politician at the same time is still a quandary for Pacquiao, who is reportedly going to face off with Floyd Mayweather Jr. in March next year.

“I’m going to finish this fight first (with Cotto),” he said, admitting that there have already been talks between boxing promoters on the Pacquiao-Mayweather fight next year.