Timothy Bradley stumps for Manny Pacquiao at their news conference

Timothy Bradley plans to aim hurtful punches at Manny Pacquiao’s head and body Saturday night, but he paused Wednesday before the brutality to endorse Pacquiao’s bid to win election as a senator in the Philippines next month.

“He’s a man of his word, the right man for the job,” Bradley (33-1-1, 13 knockouts) said at the final news conference before he and Pacquiao (57-6-2, 38 KOs) meet for the third time at MGM Grand in a welterweight fight on HBO pay-per-view. “… To me, he’s the only one who is going to do right by the Philippines.”

In the promotional buildup to the bout, Pacquiao, 37, has been forced to monitor his public statements about the election, in which his country will select 12 senators.

An election supervisory group restricts candidates to a certain number of minutes making any kind of political statement on national television in the Philippines, so when Pacquiao is shown discussing anything the group deems helpful to his candidacy, it dings him.

Bradley’s campaigning was an unexpected and allowable consideration.

The former two-division champion from the Coachella Valley knows Pacquiao as well as anyone can after their 24 prior rounds in the ring. In 2012, Pacquiao humbly accepted Bradley’s split-decision victory, and then two years later, he beat Bradley convincingly by unanimous decision.

Before Wednesday’s event, the two met behind the dais to express pleasantries, with Bradley gently pressing a softened fist toward Pacquiao’s belly.

Discussing the fight, Bradley said he was stunned recently to see a newspaper story assess that Pacquiao’s chances of winning the senate seat are linked to his success in the ring. Victory over Bradley, say many in the Philippines, would boost the number of votes Pacquiao can expect.

“I don’t think this fight has anything to do with what he has already shown the Filipino people,” Bradley said. “He hasn’t shown everybody what he’s made of?”

Pacquiao said that he plans to donate part of his guaranteed $20 million in purse money to his countrymen, to help them build houses and make other improvements to emerge from poverty.

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Boxer Manny Pacquiao does sit-ups during a workout at the Wild Card Boxing Gym in Los Angeles.

  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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Boxer Manny Pacquiao hits a punching bag during a workout at the Wild Card Boxing Gym in Los Angeles.

  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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A poster of boxer Manny Pacquiao hangs at the Wild Card Boxing Gym in Los Angeles.

  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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A member of the Pacquiao camp watches Manny during a workout at the Wild Card Boxing Gym in Los Angeles.

  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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Boxer Manny Pacquiao takes a break during a workout at the Wild Card Boxing Gym in Los Angeles.

  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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Boxer Manny Pacquiao hits a punching bag during a workout at the Wild Card Boxing Gym in Los Angeles.

  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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Boxer Manny Pacquiao hits a punching bag during a workout at the Wild Card Boxing Gym in Los Angeles.

  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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Boxing trainer Freddie Roach and Manny Pacquiao share a laugh after a workout at the Wild Card Boxing Gym in Los Angeles.

  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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Boxer Manny Pacquiao prays after a workout at the Wild Card Boxing Gym in Los Angeles.

  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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Boxer Manny Pacquiao is mobbed as he leaves a workout at the Wild Card Boxing Gym in Los Angeles.

  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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Boxer Manny Pacquiao drives though a crowd of fans after a workout at the Wild Card Boxing Gym in Los Angeles.

  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

“I’m not keeping that [purse money] alone,” Pacquiao said. “I will help … that’s the commandment of God.”

Pacquiao told The Times he’ll likely donate “millions and millions of dollars” to his countrymen. “This comes from God’s grace. He wants me to bless people,” Pacquiao said.

An election victory could likely clinch Pacquiao’s decision to retire from boxing. He’s said the workload of a senator is far heavier than that in his current role as a congressman.

“I’m happy helping people,” he said. “Helping them, that’s my joy.”