Manny Pacquiao vs. Chihiro Suzuki Exhibition Set For July 28
Manny Pacquiao has agreed a deal to fight RIZIN Featherweight Champion Chihiro Suzuki in a boxing exhibition on July 28.
According to reports, the fight will take place in three rounds, with each round lasting three minutes. It will happen at Super RIZIN 3 in Japan. RIZN confirmed the event on their RIZIN 47 card in Tokyo on July 9. The fight has been described as a “special standing bout.”
Manny’s Exhibition
It will occur at 150 pounds. Pacquiao has not boxed professionally since losing to Yordenis Ugas in 2021. After the defeat, he announced his retirement from the sport. However, he had one exhibition where he defeated DK Yoo in a unanimous decision win in 2022.
Suzuki has not lost in his prior nine fights. That includes eight wins and one no-contest. His defeat to Kleber Koike became a no-contest after his opponent did not make weight. Suzuki, however, will box Takanori Gomi on June 23 to prepare himself for Pacquiao.
Outside of that, Manny has been linked with a boxing bout against Mario Barrios. This could be for the WBC Welterweight Title. The belt is available after Terence Crawford became a ‘Champion in Recess’ since he will fight Israil Madrimov at 154 on August 3. Since Barrios is the WBC Interim Welterweight Champion, Manny could get a title shot at 45. Sean Gibbons, who manages Manny’s promotional company, did hint at a pro return for the boxer. But there is a long way to go before he can consider that. He must beat Suzuki first.
Manny’s Pro Return
“Manny Pacquiao is still chasing history. He is looking at one more big fight in 2024. Manny made history at 40 years old when he beat Keith Thurman to win the WBA 147-pound world title. He became the oldest fighter ever to do it. He would love a shot at the welterweight title before calling it a career,” Sean Gibbons (Chairman Of Manny Pacquiao Promotions) said
Manny’s connection with RIZN has been there for a while. He made an appearance at a RIZN 45 event last year. He announced that he would be fighting Floyd Mayweather in a rematch. They faced off in 2015 in what was described as the ‘Fight of the Century.’
However, it failed to live up to the hype as Mayweather won a comfortable unanimous decision. While that may have been the case, there were question marks over the win. Manny complained over a hurt shoulder as he underwent surgery on his rotator cuff. Although he announced the rematch, Mayweather shut it down.
Manny vs. Mayweather
“Yeah, thank you so much for inviting me here again. I’m sorry for the last time that we promised that we’re going to fight this year. Next year I’m going to see you in Japan, again big fight against- Floyd Mayweather. Floyd Mayweather, yeah. I thought that you didn’t want me to say that. But I am excited about that. Thank you for always supporting Rizin and Sakakibara,” Manny stated
“I don’t have to say anything. Just by you saying my name, they gave me a check for four million. I don’t like to throw certain individuals under the bus, because we don’t do that. [But], he said my name when he wasn’t supposed to,” Mayweather revealed
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