RIZIN boss hints at upcoming deal with Manny Pacquiao
Back in December, RIZIN Fight Federation flew undefeated boxing legend Floyd Mayweather Jr. out to Tokyo to battle one of its brightest young stars, Tenshin Nasukawa, in an exhibition match. Unfortunately for RIZIN, this plan seemed to backfire, as Mayweather walloped the much smaller Nasukawa to a first round knockout.
Despite the seemingly disastrous end to this Floyd Mayweather vs. Tenshin Nasukawa fight, RIZIN does not appear to be done flirting with top-level boxers.
Speaking on Twitter on Sunday afternoon, RIZIN President Nobuyuki Sakakibara hinted at an upcoming deal with Filipino boxing legend Manny Pacquiao, a long-time Mayweather rival.
See what Sakakibara had to say below, along with a few pictures of contracts seemingly being signed.
現在、実はフィリピンに来ています。メイウェザーに続き、 RIZIN.15ではこの男と新たな仕掛けを行います。帰国したらすぐに発表しますので、楽しみにしていてください！#rizin15 #MannyPacquiao pic.twitter.com/e2tNtjbuLw
— 榊󠄀原信行 Nobuyuki Sakakibara (@nobu_sakakibara) April 7, 2019
“Currently I am in the Philippines,” Sakakibara said (via Google Translate). “Following Mayweather, RIZIN.15 will do a new trick with this guy. We will announce you soon after returning home, so please look forward to it!”
The CEO continued in a second Tweet:
I’m here in the Philippines. RIZIN.15 will have this man involved in a way. We will be ready to announce as I get back to Japan! #rizin15 #MannyPacquiao pic.twitter.com/58lv5xwPMb
— 榊󠄀原信行 Nobuyuki Sakakibara (@nobu_sakakibara) April 7, 2019
“RIZIN.15 will have this man involved in a way,” he said. “We will be ready to announce as I get back to Japan!”
From the sounds of it, Manny Pacquiao will somehow be involved in the upcoming RIZIN 15 card. This card is scheduled for April 21, so it certainly seems unlikely that Pacquiao will be fighting — even in an exhibition bout. We’ll simply have to stay tuned for updates.
Manny Pacquiao last fought in January, when he defeated Adrien Broner by decision. This victory was preceded by an impressive win over Lucas Matthysse. The legendary pugilist is currently 61–7–2 as a professional.
This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 4/7/2019.
Topics:
Manny Pacquiao RIZIN FF
