Manny Pacquiao signs with RIZIN, will fight in 2023
Manny Pacquiao, one of the world’s most notorious boxers has signed with RIZIN Fighting Federation with plans to compete in 2023.
“A few months ago, I was here as a guest and today I have a very exciting announcement tonight,” Pacquiao said while the promotion’s 2022 year-end event. “I have agreed with Rizin to fight next year, the date will soon be announced and also my opponent that Rizin will choose. I’m open and excited to fight a Japanese fighter.”
Joined by Rizin president Nobuyuki Sakakibara, Pacquiao said he would face any willing opponent.
𝐀 𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐋 𝐀𝐍𝐍𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓…
The Pac-Man, @MannyPacquiao himself will fight in the RIZIN ring in 2023 against a Japanese fighter 🇯🇵!
[ #RIZIN40 | @FiteTV PPV link in bio ] pic.twitter.com/iLPMIK9wRj
— RIZIN FF English (@rizin_English) December 31, 2022
Nicknamed “PacMan”, Manny Pacquiao is regarded as one of the greatest professional boxers of all time. He served as a Senator of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022.
Pacquiao is the only eight-division world champion in the history of boxing and has won twelve major world titles. He was the first boxer to win the lineal championship in five different weight classes,[11][12][13] the first boxer to win major world titles in four of the eight “glamour divisions” (flyweight, featherweight, lightweight, and welterweight),and is the only boxer to hold world championships across four decades (1990s, 2000s, 2010s, and 2020s). In July 2019, Pacquiao became the oldest welterweight world champion in history at the age of 40, and the first boxer in history to become a recognized four-time welterweight champion after defeating Keith Thurman to win the WBA (Super) welterweight title. As of 2015, Pacquiao’s fights had generated $1.2 billion in revenue from his 25 pay-per-view bouts. According to Forbes, he was the second highest paid athlete in the world in 2015.
