Manny Pacquiao

The eight-division world champion and Philippines senator on Wednesday announced his retirement from the ring, ending a nearly 30-year career in boxing.

The political victory brings the 37-year-old, who had previously served in the Philippines' House of Representatives, ever closer to an eventual shot at the presidency.

Paquiao defeated Timothy Bradley Jr. by unanimous decision. And the iconic boxer said that he is retiring — "as of now." "I am going to go home and think about it," he said.

The boxer has apologized "for hurting people by comparing homosexuals to animals," but he also reiterated that he was merely going by "what the Bible says."

"I still stand on my belief that I'm against same sex marriage because of what the Bible says, but I'm not condemning LGBT," the famous boxer says, after a TV interview went viral.

The U.S. presidential contest may seem crowded with more than a dozen candidates on the Republican side alone. But in the Philippines, a record 130 candidates have filed for the presidency.

The two plaintiffs are suing under laws meant to protect consumers. Pacquiao lost the highest-grossing boxing match in history to Floyd Mayweather Jr. It was later revealed he had a shoulder injury.