Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao loses presidential election in Philippines

Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao has finished a distant third in the just concluded Philippines presidential election.

Pacquiao picked up less than four million votes, or 6.8 percent of votes counted.

The poll result showed that the former Pilipino boxer finished third behind winner Ferdinand Marcos Junior, who got more than half the votes, and runner-up Leni Robredo.

Although, pre-election survey showed the boxer stands no chance of winning at the polls.

.Critics of the boxer had accused him of being a high-school dropout who is lacking in intellect and barely turning up to sessions in Congress and the Senate, which had raised questions about his ability to run the country of 110 million people.

Prior to the election, Pacquiao had fancied his chances of emerging winner until election result started trickling in.

“I believe there are more poor people than rich ones,” Pacquiao told reporters on Monday as he voted in his southern home province of Sarangani.

“We want to assure them that the majority of the poor will unite to show the rich that there are more people suffering in poverty in this country,” said Pacquiao, who lives in an enclave of billionaires and foreign ambassadors when he is in Manila.

Pacquiao, who had previously served in the country’s congress ruled out a sporting comeback if he lost the presidential election.

“I’m already turning 43 years old, so it’s enough for me, I’m done,” said the father of five.

Pacquiao said he would instead grow fruit on a 20-hectare (49-acre) property in Sarangani.

“It’s also quiet (there), I like that,” he said.