Manny Pacquiao toying with fighting in Olympics

With a deadline fast approaching, Manny Pacquiao has a big decision looming.

Despite recently being elected to the Philippines senate, Pacquiao is toying with the idea of fighting in the Olympic Games in Rio this summer.

With a move to allow professionals to compete in the Olympics for the first time gaining steam, Pacquiao might have one last chance at glory. And the appeal to fight in the name and honor of his countrymen might be too great for him to ignore.

"I need to ask the Filipino people if they will let me compete. I offer it as a gesture to the country," Pacquiao said at a news conference this week.

The 37-year-old has been given a deadline of May 27 to make a decision.

"Manny must decide first, then we talk," Ed Picson, director of the amateur boxing association that set the deadline, told The Standard, a Filipino newspaper.

Pacquiao retired from the sport in April after beating Timothy Bradley Jr. During a career, which saw him compile a 58-6-2 record, Pacquiao won world titles in eight weight classes.

If he does go to Rio, he most like would in the junior welterweight class, which is one lower than where he usually fights.