Famed boxing star Manny Pacquiao will represent his country, the Philippines, in the survival competition show Physical: Asia, a spin-off of Netflix’s hit South Korean reality series Physical: 100 (2023 to present), set for a late 2025 global release.
The 46-year-old’s appearance was announced by the streaming platform in a press statement on Feb 4, where he will put the Philippines’ “national pride on the line”.
“Pacquiao, revered worldwide as the only boxer in history to acquire titles in eight weight divisions, brings his formidable talent and indomitable spirit to this team-based clash of champions,” the statement read. “His participation signals the show’s expanded ambition: a fierce face-off among Asia’s finest, with national pride on the line.”
The platform also shared photos of the Filipino boxing legend and former senator, accompanied by his wife Jinkee, walking at an airport in South Korea.
Details of the show’s other contestants have yet to be revealed
Physical: Asia expands on Physical: 100’s original premise, where top athletes from different countries will be divided into respective teams and be part of a series of physical challenges against their opponents. But what raises the stakes is that when one team member fails in a certain challenge, the whole team is eliminated.
In the original format of Physical: 100, athletes, sports influencers and fitness experts compete in a large-scale competition featuring individual and team challenges until the last man emerges as the champion with the “most ideal human physique”.
Pacquiao, dubbed the “pambansang kamao” (Tagalog for “national fist”), is one of the most legendary athletes in the Philippines. He retired from boxing in 2021. – Philippine Daily Inquirer/Asia News Network
