Rizin president Nobuyuki Sakakibara teased a mysterious deal with boxing legend Manny Pacquiao on his social media on Sunday. Two days later, he explained what that was about.
Sakakibara hosted a press conference in Tokyo, Japan, to announce two additional kickboxing bouts to upcoming Rizin 15 on April 21, clarifying that the company’s deal with Pacquiao doesn’t involve the boxing legend entering the ring to compete.
“This is not a fight contract,” Sakakibara said. “This agreement was made based off of Manny Pacquiao supporting the young Filipino fighter who will be fighting Tenshin Nasukawa.