Manny Pacquiao signed contract with Rizin for exhibition match

• Manny Pacquiao will compete in exhibition contest for Rizin
• The 44-year-old boxer made the news in Saitama, Japan.
• It will be his first time back in the ring since retiring in 2021.

Manny Pacquiao, a legend in the sport of boxing in his native Philippines, has signed a contract with MMA promoter Rizin to fight in an exhibition match.

The 44-year-old former boxing great made the announcement at Saturday’s Rizin vs. Bellator event in Saitama, Japan.

At a later date, the ex-eight-division champion told reporters that he would likely compete in an exhibition match versus a Japanese MMA fighter who has yet to be named.

“I was a visitor here a few months ago, and now I’m here to make a big announcement. I have an agreement with Rizin for a bout next year; the date and my opponent will be confirmed soon. Inviting a Japanese fighter into a battle is something I’m eager to do “Says Pacquiao.

The promotion Rizin has worked with Pacquiao’s longtime rival Floyd Mayweather on multiple exhibition bouts, including Mayweather’s two-round knockout of MMA veteran Mikuru Asakura in September and his first-round hammering of kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa in 2017.

MP Promotions President Sean Gibbons recently told The Ring that he believes a fight card featuring both Pacquiao and his son, amateur boxer Emmanuel Pacquiao Jr., is in the cards future.

Pacquiao had already beaten Shin Terao in Tokyo, Japan, in 1998, in his only previous bout in Japan.

Earlier, Pacquiao faced off against a South Korean YouTuber in an exhibition battle close to Seoul, marking his first time back in the ring since retiring from boxing in 2021.

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