SEOUL (BERNAMA) - Filipino boxing legend Emmanuel "Manny" Pacquiao will be appointed as a Seoul global ambassador for his leading role in enhancing the relationship and exchanges between South Korea and the Philippines, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said Tuesday, Yonhap news agency reported.

Pacquiao, now a sitting senator in his country, will visit Seoul City Hall to meet with Mayor Park Won-soon, who will present him with the formal appointment in a ceremony scheduled to take place around noon, the city government said in a statement.

Seoul has made renowned foreign professionals global ambassadors as part of efforts to diversify and strengthen bilateral cooperation with key cities around the world. In June, the city appointed Russian maestro and opera director Valery Gergiev as a global ambassador.

"Senator Pacquiao is the boxing legend of Asia," the city government said in the release. "Coming from a childhood of limited means, he is also known as the king of donations for the fortune he contributes every year to help better the lives of the poor in his community."

Pacquiao, 39, has won 11 major world titles in a career that began in 1995.

He is the only world champion in the history of boxing to have won all eight weight classes, including flyweight, featherweight, lightweight and welterweight.