Manny Pacquiao still has some fight left in him.
The 45-year-old Phillipino boxing legend teased an impending match up with Muay Thai icon, Buakaw Banchamek, in July 2023. Now, further details have emerged per Beyond Kickboxing, noting that the “Match of Legends” will be contested as a six three-minute round exhibition boxing match with two-minute breaks between rounds. The match will go down inside the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand on April 20, 2024. The winner will reportedly receive a purse of at least 10 million baht, which translates to $289,000 United States dollars (USD). Overall, the event will cost roughly $25 million to put on.
“Thank you with great respect to Vinij Lertratanachai, Fresh Air Festival,” Pacquiao said on Instagram in July. “Thank you also to Buakaw Banchamek and his team. Special thank you to LOL International. Thank you to all the fans and all the media for coming out and showing your support. This is going to be an amazing fight.”
Pacquiao had been linked to a potential RIZIN Fighting Federation debut since his appearance at the promotion in December 2022. However, nothing has come to fruition as the promotion gears up for its final event of the year, RIZIN 45 this weekend (Sun., Dec. 31, 2023).
Pacquiao (62-8-2) made his exhibition boxing debut with a unanimous decision win over DK Yoo in early December 2022 (watch highlights). Buakaw, 41, on the other hand, recently went to war with his fellow Muay Thai legend, Saenchai, in a bare-knuckle Muay Thai bout. Buakaw earned the victory via unanimous decision. He fought and won in a bare-knuckle boxing (BKB) match in September 2022, when he knocked out Erkan Varol in round one, but is known predominantly for his absurd 282-fight Muay Thai career (242-24-14, 2 no contests).