By REYNALD MAGALLON
It seems like it would be a busy new year for Manny Pacquiao.
The Filipino icon is set to fight Muay Thai legend Buakaw Banchamek in an exhibition fight on April 20, and possibly in a rematch with fellow boxing great Floyd Mayweather this year.
More than a year since last set foot on the canvas when he fought Korean martial artist DK Yoo in an exhibition in South Korea, Pacquiao will again be fighting on the ring dubbed as the ‘Match of the Legends” at the IMPACT Arena in Bangkok.
The fight will be in a catchweight and in boxing rules featuring six rounds of three minutes time with two minute breaks in between.
At stake are the $289,000 prize and a WBC Legend Belt the World Boxing Council purposely commissioned for the fight.
Buakaw, more renowned with his ring name Buakaw Por Pramuk, was a legend of his own in his sport, sporting an impressive career record of 241 wins, 24 losses and 14 draws. He is coming off a bare-knuckle Muay Thai fight against Saenchai last November.
Aside from the exhibition, Pacquiao also teased a possible fight against Mayweather during an appearance in an MMA Event at the Saitama Super Arena on New Year’s eve.
Asked about the rematch against Mayweather, Pacquiao said he is ready to fight and began talking about the brewing big fight. The boxing legend was hesitant to mention the name of his opponent but eventually went on naming him after Rizin chief executive Nobuyuki Sakakibara prompted him to do so.
“Next year, I hope to see you here in Japan with a big fight against… Floyd Mayweather,” briefly pausing before looking at Sakakibara
“I thought you didn’t want me to say that. I’m excited for that,” he added.
The exhibition has long been teased to happen in December of 2023 after posters of the supposed fight circulated online. The match however did not materialize reportedly due to the details of the exhibition’s pay-per-view yet to be ironed out.
Pacquiao had formally retired from professional boxing and has since participated in numerous exhibition matches. He called it quits after losing to Yordenis Ugas via unanimous decision in 2021, closing an legendary career that saw him become the only eight-division world champion in boxing with a record of 62 wins with 32 knockouts against eight losses and two draws.
Mayweather, likewise, already retired in boxing, finishing his career with a perfect 50-0 record. He also fought in several exhibition bouts against the likes of internet personality Logan Paul, former sparring partner Don Moore, and undefeated Japanese kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa among others.
