MANILA, Philippines — The city's notorious traffic came to a halt and thousands lined streets and bridges Friday to cheer their hero Manny Pacquiao, who returned home pondering his next moves -- facing Floyd Mayweather Jr. and seeking a congressional seat.
Fresh from stopping welterweight champion Miguel Cotto in Las Vegas on Saturday, Pacquiao stepped from the plane still nursing an injured right ear and said he saw no problem facing Mayweather in the next megafight.
"I am willing to fight Mayweather as long as there's an agreement," the 30-year-old said. "But we don't want to force him to fight me. He should be the one to challenge me because it was clear I had more pay-per-view than him."
Mayweather issued a statement Monday in which he said, "If Manny Pacquiao wants to fight me, all he has to do is step up to the plate and say it himself."
Pacquiao's promoter Bob Arum said Thursday his Filipino star was willing to fight at welterweight (147 pounds, 67 kilograms) and that he was waiting to hear from Golden Boy Promotions chief Richard Schaefer, who has assisted Mayweather's team on his most recent fights.
For the time being, Pacquiao said he just wants a vacation with his family. "I want to relax and my ear injury to heal," he told reporters, saying he will soon fly to his southern home province.
From there, he said he would file his nomination for a congressional seat in next year's elections. It will be Pacquiao's second jab at politics after his 2007 campaign fell short.
His popularity has become overwhelming. He recently made the cover of Time magazine in Asia and is by far the most recognized person in the Philippines.
A former baker and construction worker born to a poor family, Pacquiao became an embodiment of a rags-to-riches story in the country where one-third of the 90 million people live on less than $1 a day.
Standing in a flattop truck and surrounded by his wife and the country's environment secretary, his longtime supporter, Pacquiao waved to the crowds and threw them T-shirts emblazoned with a fist shaped in letters "MP" and draped in colors of the Philippine flag.
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo will later confer on him a top national medal, the Order of Sikatuna, usually reserved for foreign diplomats and heads of state.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Source: USA Today
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