INQUIRER Sports

MANILA, Philippines?World boxing champion Manny Pacquiao was taken to a hospital on Sunday for a stomach ailment, but his lawyer said it was not serious and that he would likely be out the next day.

Pacquiao, who was recently elected as a legislator, was taken to a suburban hospital in Manila after feeling pains in his stomach, said lawyer Jesus Gacal.

"It was just his usual acid reflux. The doctor told me there is nothing to worry about," Gacal told AFP.

"There was even no need for him to be confined but he wanted to take a rest after the (election) campaign," the lawyer added.

He said Pacquiao had suffered from this stomach problem before.

The 31-year-old fighter, who was elected on May 10 to represent the impoverished southern province of Sarangani, has been preparing to take up his post in the House of Representatives.

Boxing promoters are also working to arrange a bout between Pacquiao and American Floyd Mayweather Jr. in November, to settle once and for all the fighters' claim to be the best fighter, pound-for-pound, of his generation.

Pacquiao has said he can handle the simultaneous burdens of being a legislator and training for a major fight, remarking that this required only proper "time management."

Boxing victories as well as his commercial endorsements last year made Pacquiao the world's sixth-highest paid athlete, with earnings of $40 million, according to Forbes magazine.