Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao returned to the ring at 45 and looked terrible on his way to a beatdown by kickboxer Rukiya Anpo.
Pacquiao put a potential WBC welterweight title fight on the line as he battled Anpo at Super RIZIN 3 in Japan. His performance has all but ended his chances of facing Mario Barrios.
World Boxing News broke the news that Pacquiao was being afforded a shot out of nowhere against Barrios. WBN then revealed that World Boxing Council President Mauricio Sulaiman approved the fight. But like Gervonta Davis vs. Vasiliy Lomachenko, another Las Vegas superfight is off the table.
Based on his efforts in the ring on Sunday, the WBC could not justify giving Pacquiao the opportunity.
Anpo, for his worth, did all that was asked of him and used all his ring advantages to stop the ‘Pac-Man’ in his tracks. At times, Anpo battered the older, slower, and smaller Pacquiao and deserved to get the verdict.
However, as there were no judges, the fight ended in a draw by default after three rounds. The fighters embraced before Ryan Garcia, a special guest of RIZIN, entered the ring to confront the pair.
Garcia said, ” I want to say congrats to – I don’t know his name, Anpo. It was a great fight. Manny Pacquiao, you know you are a legend. I want to fight in Japan. I want to fight Anpo or Manny, whoever.”
Ryan Garcia channels his inner Inspector Gadget as he challenges @anpo_rukiya and @MannyPacquiao
After their exhibition draw.🎥 @RIZINTV_
pic.twitter.com/KHuwSZ6Q4U— World Boxing News (@WorldBoxingNews) July 28, 2024
Both looked bemused by Garcia’s appearance in a trench coat, calling them out when he was suspended from any form of combat until April 2025.
Anpo, who replied ‘Let’s find out’ to Garcia, is far more likely to return to kickboxing, though, amid calls for Pacquiao to hang up his gloves.
Where the eight-weight veteran goes from here is anyone’s guess. One thing that is for sure is the fact Manny Pacquiao won’t be able to sell Pay-Per-Views based on that performance.
As WBN revealed, Premier Boxing Champions were looking at putting Pacquiao on a final PPV event in Las Vegas. Given what went down in Japan, it seems like that ship has firmly sailed.
Read all articles and exclusive interviews by Phil Jay. Learn more about the author, experienced boxing writer, and World Boxing News Editor since 2010. Follow on Twitter @PhilJWBN.
