Poland’s Nawrocki meets Pacman: In Manila, diplomacy in boxing

STATE VISIT. Polish President Karol Nawrocki trains with Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao on the sidelines of a state visit to the Philippines on October 7, 2026. Pacquiao is head of the National Anti-Poverty Commission.

Karol Nawrocki/Facebook

What happens when two government officials — an amateur boxer and a world champion — meet in Manila? Boxing pad work, of course.

AT A GLANCE

• Polish President Karol Nawrocki visited the Philippines from October 5 to 8, 2026, marking the first visit by a Polish head of state.
• During his visit, Nawrocki trained with boxing legend Manny Pacquiao, who expressed it was an honor to train him, and he received signed boxing gloves from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as a gift.

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Wearing leather shoes, slacks, and a shirt that bore the flags of his country and his host, Polish President Karol Nawrocki stepped into a boxing ring.

His trainer? No less than Philippine boxing icon Manny Pacquiao. Video from the session shows both Pacquiao and Nawrocki beaming before, during, and after a few drills.

It was a novel and literal action-packed side quest in Nawrocki’s 4-day state visit to the Philippines from October 5 to 8. He’s the first Polish head of state to make such a visit.

Pacquiao, in a post on his official Facebook page, said it was an “honor” to train Nawrocki.

The day of his Pacquiao training session, Nawrocki had spoken at the University of Sto Tomas. The day before that, he was received in Malacañang for a bilateral meeting and a state dinner hosted by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

During that visit to Malacañang, Nawrocki was also gifted a pair of boxing gloves signed by Pacquiao, a boxing legend worldwide.

The visit to an Elorde gym (a franchise founded by another Filipino boxing champ, Gabriel Elorde) and Marcos’ choice of gift were not random, of course.

Nawrocki is known for his athleticism. His experience as an amateur boxer is part of his public image, particularly in his successful 2025 campaign.

Pacquiao, of course, is not just a legendary boxer. He was a district representative for two terms before being elected senator for one. He ran for president in 2022, but unlike his new-found Polish trainee, his bid was unsuccessful.

Despite being rivals in the 2022 presidential race, the Filipino boxing champ was recently appointed head of the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) by Marcos. – Rappler.com