Manny Pacquiao Announces Return to Boxing for Fight with Rizin in 2023
Dec 31, 2022
GOYANG, SOUTH KOREA - 2022/12/10: Former Filipino boxer Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao Sr. attend a weigh-in at the KINTEX in Goyang. Pacquiao will fight in an exhibition match with South Korean martial artist D.K. Yoo on 11 December. (Photo by Kim Jae-Hwan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Manny Pacquiao is returning to the boxing ring.
At the Rizin 40 event Saturday, the legendary fighter announced he signed a deal with the promotion that will have him compete in 2023.
𝐀 𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐋 𝐀𝐍𝐍𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓...
The Pac-Man, @MannyPacquiao himself will fight in the RIZIN ring in 2023 against a Japanese fighter 🇯🇵!
"I have agreed with Rizin to fight next year, the date will soon be announced and also my opponent that Rizin will choose," he said (via MMA Fighting's Damon Martin). "I'm open and excited to fight a Japanese fighter."
Rizin has partnered with Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2018 and again this past September. Both of those bouts were exhibitions, so that will presumably be the plan for Pacquiao as well.
The 44-year-old hasn't fought professionally since August 2021, when he lost a unanimous decision to Yordenis Ugas. He had taken a two-year hiatus from boxing before that to focus on his political career in his native Phillipines.
Like Mayweather, Pacquiao has begun pivoting to lucrative exhibitions in lieu of padding his 62-8-2 career record. Most recently, he earned a unanimous decision over DK Yoo on Dec. 11.
The former eight-division world champion has expressed the hope of fighting Mayweather again to avenge his 2015 defeat but questioned whether the feeling was mutual.
"I don't think he will do a rematch with me," he told FightHype.com on Dec. 8 (h/t Bad Left Hook's Wil Esco). "I don't think so. What I thought is that he's scared to death to fight again, and that's my analysis and thought on the rematch with him."
For now, Pacquiao's attention will be diverted elsewhere since he said he'll oppose a Japanese fighter of Rizin's choosing. If the event proves to be a big enough spectacle, perhaps that will pique Mayweather's interest.
