Premier Michael Dunkley received a special treat during his visit to Washington, DC this week.

While attending Thursday’s National Prayer Breakfast, where United States President Barack Obama spoke, Mr Dunkley got the chance to meet professional boxer Manny Pacquiao.

Mr Pacquiao, who hails from the Philippines, is the first and only eight-division world champion who has long been regarded as the one of best boxers in the world.

He was elected to the House of Representatives in the 15th Congress of the Philippines in May 2010 and attended Thursday’s event on his country’s behalf.

“I didn’t know he was going to be there,” Mr Dunkley said.

“I recognised him right away and found him to be a very engaging and pleasant chap who certainly has a deep passion for politics and people. I found him to be a very genuine and humble man, who is certainly tuned into world politics.

“Everyone knows him as a boxer and I predict he will probably be the President of the Philippines in the next few years. He’s a leader that I think the Philippines will get a lot of benefit from in the future, so I think they should be excited.”

The Premier is a big fan of Pacquiao, the boxer, though. “I have always admired Pacquiao,” Mr Dunkley said. “He is one of the best professional athletes in the world and been a class act all along.”

Mr Pacquiao is close to signing a contract to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr, the unbeaten American who holds the subjective but cherished title as pound-for-pound best in the world as well as ten world titles in various weight classes.

The bout, targeted for May 2 in Las Vegas should the camps finalise a difficult negotiating process that has been going back and forth for years, is expected to generate more than $200 million in revenue.

“We did spend some time talking about his upcoming fight against Floyd Mayweather,” Mr Dunkley added. “He seems to be very comfortable with his preparations going forward.”

The Premier extended an invitation to Mr Pacquiao to visit Bermuda. “I took the opportunity to talk all about Bermuda and he was very interested,” Mr Dunkley said.

“He loves diving and loves the beaches, so I extended him an invitation. I would not be surprised if we see him come sometime.

“He’s very excited about Bermuda, so I said, ‘As soon as you are finished with the Mayweather fight come join us down in Bermuda’. I also mentioned to him about the Filipino community we have here and he seems to be aware of that.

“I also told him we have a lot of young boxing talent in Bermuda and if he ever did come here, it would be nice for him to do a couple of training sessions — and he seemed very keen to do whatever he can.”