Manny Pacquiao Announces Professional Boxing Comeback Plan
MANNY PACQUIAO – Pambansang Kamao Manny Pacquiao just announced his professional boxing comeback plan.
Manny Pacquiao is gearing up for a return to professional boxing. Regardless of the outcome of his three-round exhibition match on Sunday against Japanese kickboxer Rukiya Anpo, the Filipino boxing legend appears determined to resume his illustrious pro career by the end of the year.
“October or November, that’s my plan for a return fight,” Pacman said to a group of Japanese and Filipino journalists on Friday at The Westin Tokyo. This was in response to a question about his conditioning for Sunday’s exhibition bout compared to his usual preparation for professional fights.
Manny Pacquiao’s last professional fight was in 2021, where he lost to Yordenis Ugas and subsequently announced his retirement. However, the former eight-division world champion couldn’t stay away from the ring for long.
A year after his retirement, he participated in a lucrative exhibition fight, defeating Korean martial artist and video blogger DK Yoo over six rounds in Seoul.
On Sunday at the Saitama Super Arena, Pacquiao will face Anpo, a former K-1 kickboxing champion and mixed martial artist. This exhibition fight is seen as a stepping stone for his inevitable return to professional boxing.
For the Anpo exhibition, Pacquiao has been training intermittently in his hometown of General Santos City since May, likely enough to put on a show for nine minutes against an opponent with limited boxing experience. He expressed his readiness to train more rigorously for a professional fight.
“I have enough time to prepare for a big fight, like 10 rounds or 12 rounds,” said Pacman, who has been rumored to be eyeing a match against World Boxing Council welterweight champion Mario Barrios.
This means subjecting his 45-year-old, battle-worn body to intense training once again.
“If the fight is October or November, that’s a different (level) of condition. The rounds, the training sessions are different.”
Pacman is simply not ready to say goodbye to boxing.
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