Pacquiao didn’t let the fight being an exhibition stop him from going to war with Rukiya Anpo in front of over 45,000 fans in Japan.
Manny Pacquiao went to war in his Super Rizin 3 exhibition boxing match against former K-1 champion Rukiya Anpo, going to to toe with his much larger opponent for three 3-minute rounds.
While Anpo used his superior reach to batter “Pac-Man” and win all three rounds on our scorecards, special rules dictated that the only way to win was via knockout. So after going the distance, the fight was declared a draw. But Pacquaio ate a lot of punches trying to get close enough to hit Anpo, who punished him relentlessly with jabs, busting him open above the eye.
Things got pretty theatrical after the match as the recently suspended Ryan Garcia stepped into the ring to call out both Pacquiao and Anpo.
“I want to fight in Japan, and I want to challenge Anpo, Pacquiao, whoever,” Garcia declared.
Let’s the games begin pic.twitter.com/VlulM9EeKV
— RYAN GARCIA (@RyanGarcia) July 27, 2024
While Garcia is officially under suspension by the New York State Athletic Commission until April 2025 due to a failed drug test for Ostarine, Japan is outside their authority and Garcia hopes to compete on Rizin’s big New Year’s Eve event. Whether he’ll face any questions regarding that when he goes to renew his license in North America remains to be seen.
Check out the highlights of the fight below:
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?????8??????????????????????#?????RIZIN— ABEMA?? (@Abema_Fight) July 28, 2024
Ryan Garcia says he wants to fight in Japan and challenges Rukiya Anpo and Manny Pacquiao to a fight! #SuperRIZIN3 pic.twitter.com/5z7GRRryuH
— COMBAT SPORTS TODAY (@CSTodayNews) July 28, 2024
THANK YOU EVERYONE! Thank you Rizin for a great event and to Anpo for a great fight. THANK YOU TO ALL OF JAPAN! Thanks to my family, team, and friends for your love and support. Thank you, my fellow Filipinos, for your prayers and support. Mabuhay ang Pilipinas
Above all,… pic.twitter.com/sKJuxrUBXH
— Manny Pacquiao (@MannyPacquiao) July 28, 2024
For full Super Rizin 3 results, click here.