After losing the 2022 Philippine Presidential election, Manny Pacquaio announced that he is returning to the ring in 2023 and plans to fight an exhibition for Rizin Fight Federation, a Japanese mixed martial arts promotion company.
Before the 2022 Philippine Presidential election, Manny announced his retirement from boxing after losing by a decision against Yordenis Ugas in a WBA super-welterweight boxing title defense bout. During Pacquaio’s emotional retirement statement, he said that the final bell had rung and that it was the hardest decision he had ever made. Pacquiao stated that his reason for retirement was to focus on his 2022 Philippine presidential election bid.
Rizin Fight Federation And Pacquiao Announcment
Rizin is a Japanese mixed martial arts (MMA) organization created in 2015 by Nobuyuki Sakakibara, a former Pride Fighting Championships and Dream Stage Entertainment president. Rizin events are promoted heavily with a larger-than-life context and are a variety of kickboxing but mostly MMA events. Rizin also offers a Grand Prix event where fighters must fight multiple times a night.
Rizin has grown into Japan’s top MMA promotion company and pitted their fighters against USA’s Bellator at a 2023 New Year’s Eve event. Bellator fighters won the night, but during the event, it was announced that Pacquaio had signed his deal and would fight an exhibition match for Rizin in 2023; no other details have been reported.
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! May God bless us all. pic.twitter.com/Opcpk2kzir
— Manny Pacquiao (@MannyPacquiao) January 1, 2023
Betting On Boxing And MMA Events
It has been since 2022 since Manny Pacquaio graced the odds boards of sportsbooks, and it might not happen again, given his age (44) and the outcome of his last fight against Ugas, but there is no denying he had a fantastic career and is a living legend.
Betting on boxing is now more accessible than ever with online sportsbooks that offer odds on MMA, professional boxing, celebrity boxing, and other combat sporting events. While MMA events are the king of the odds right now, boxing events garnish a lot of attention with big names like Fury, Mayweather, and Pacquiao.
While there are multiple ways to bet on Martial Arts, the best solution is often online sportsbooks due to their ease of use and accessibility. Online sportsbooks also offer banking solutions that many domestic sportsbooks don’t include Bitcoin and other popular cryptocurrencies. You can also take advantage of numerous sportsbook bonuses when signing up for a new account.
