Manny Pacquiao to join Korean athletic reality show ‘Physical: Asia’

Manny Pacquiao. Image: Courtesy of Netflix
Manny Pacquiao will represent the Philippines in the survival competition show “Physical: Asia,” a spinoff of the hit Korean reality series “Physical: 100,” set for a late 2025 global release.
Pacquiao’s appearance was announced by a streaming platform in a press statement on Tuesday, February 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 the airport in South Korea.

Manny Pacquiao and his wife Jinkee Pacquiao at an airport in South Korea. Image: Courtesy of Netflix

Manny Pacquiao and his wife Jinkee Pacquiao at an airport in South Korea. Image: Courtesy of Netflix
Details of the show’s other contestants are yet to be revealed, as of this writing.
Article continues after this advertisement“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.
Article continues after this advertisementIn 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 as the “Pambansang Kamao” (national fist), is one of the most legendary athletes in the Philippines. He is the only boxer who brought home eight-division world champion and was the oldest welterweight world champion at 40 years old. He eventually retired from boxing in 2021.
The athlete-politician also decided to run for Senate anew in the 2025 mid-term polls after his failed attempt at the presidency in the 2022 elections.