Pacquiao will represent the southern province of Sarangani in Congress

World champion Manny Pacquiao may be on the verge of hanging up his gloves but he has plenty of tough fights ahead of him after swapping the boxing ring for the political arena.

The 31-year-old fighter was elected at the beginning of May to represent the impoverished southern province of Sarangani in the Philippines Congress.

The seven-weight world champion will take his seat on 30 June but he is planning one more fight - perhaps an eagerly-anticipated bout with American Floyd Mayweather Jr - before he quits the ring so will have to combine politics with fisticuffs until the end of the year.

Pacquiao's pro record of 56 fights, three defeats and two draws, with 38 of his victories by knockout, has established him as a ring legend.

I will enter the College of Public Administration and Governance so I can understand how Congress works Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao

And his plan for the next few months is as straightforward as his "very simple, very basic" campaign strategy.

"I will attend (Congress) sessions in the morning until afternoon, then I go to the gym around 4 or 5pm," he said.

Before that, though, Pacquiao intends to complete a crash course at the University of Philippines to prepare for his new job.

"I will study for one week so I will understand the protocol in Congress," he told the ABS-CBN television station.

"I will enter the College of Public Administration and Governance so I can understand how Congress works."

Pacquiao dropped out of school as a teenager but in 2007 he passed the government's high school equivalency exams.

His first venture into politics was unsuccessful as he lost his run for the House of Representatives in the same year.

But Pacquiao, showing the fighting spirit that has characterised his boxing career, bounced back and turned that defeat into a landslide victory in this year's Congressional elections.

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