Manny Pacquiao is arguably the most famous person in the Philippines.
In 2012 he earned $62 million dollars, according to CNN. The cable news outlet says that’s more than Tiger Woods, Lebron James, and Roger Federer.
He’s won titles in eight separate weight divisions and won election to the Philippines House of Representatives.
Now he is taking on his biggest fight, human trafficking.
“I think Manny is a very important milestone in our fight against human trafficking here in the Philippines because young people actually believe and listen to Manny,” says Cecilia Flores-Oebanda, executive director of the Visayan Forum Foundation, a charity dedicated to fighting forced prostitution.
“He’s a hard-working guy, he came from a very poor family. He inspires a lot of people. Of course, everybody wants Manny in their own campaign, but I’m happy Manny is joining our fight.”
It’s perhaps of Pacquiao’s own humble beginnings that he’s taken on this battle.
He said he lived under a cardboard box at age 14 and worked as a servant. His slippers were of two different colors and had holes in them.
You can read about the boxer’s visit to the Visayan Forum headquarters and how it affected him on CNN.