“As far as contractual-wise, the fight is still happening.”
Muay Thai legend, Buakaw Banchamek, is showing no signs of slowing down despite inching closer to 300 fights in his incredible career (242-24-14, 2 no contests across Muay Thai and kickboxing).
To the surprise of many, it was announced last week that Buakaw would make a short-notice return against Minoru Kimura at RIZIN Landmark 9 in Kobe, Japan, this weekend (Sat., March 23, 2024). The kickboxing bout will be the Thai icon’s second appearance in the RIZIN ring.
For the 41-year-old Buakaw, the door of opportunity appeared to open after rumors swirled that his upcoming summer exhibition boxing match against Manny Pacquiao had been canceled. Reports claimed that the promoter of the “Match of Legends” event had backed out, but according to Buakaw, things have just been delayed.
“My understanding is that the fight has gotten postponed. It hasn’t gotten canceled,” Buakaw told MMA Mania on BROADENED HORIZIN. “As far as contractual-wise, the fight is still happening. We just don’t know when. So, my understanding is that the fight is not off; it has been postponed.”
Before the striking sensation can potentially get his hands on Pacquiao, he’ll look to get through Brazil’s Kimura. It will also be the 30-year-old kickboxer’s sophomore outing in a RIZIN kickboxing match. Unfortunately for Kimura, he tested positive for banned substances in his debut this past June 2023. Originally a first round knockout of Daryl Lokoku at RIZIN 43, the result was overturned to a no-contest.
The test failure has become an extensive narrative and surprise around the Buakaw match up’s booking. Obviously, Buakaw wasn’t bothered by the recent as he still took the fight anyway.
“I think using PEDs is definitely one of Kimura’s characteristics from his fighting style. I guess that’s one of his strong points, obviously,” Buakaw said. “For me, I take pride, and I’m very proud that I’ve never taken some sort of any kind of drugs in my life, in my career. I’m very proud to say that, and I’m here to prove that. I’m proud to be a professional, I’m here to show him what a professional does and how a professional fights.
“This fight is going to be held at 74 kilograms (163 pounds), which is a lot heavier than my regular weight class, but if the offer is there, I will take the fight,” he continued. “I will not question it, and I will take the fight because that’s what professionals do. So, hopefully, with my showing of professionalism, I can teach him that there are other ways to be a professional fighter.”
Watch the full episode in the embedded video, or listen to it on Spotify.