Filipino multiple world boxing champion Manny Pacquiao has signed with Rizin, the Japanese mixed martial arts organisation that put together Floyd Mayweather’s exhibition fight in Tokyo on New Year’s Eve.
Dropping the hint in a post on Twitter, Rizin CEO Nobuyuki Sakakibara said on Monday that 40-year-old Pacquiao has signed a contract and will be involved in a way.
“I’m here in the Philippines,” wrote Sakakibara.
“We will be ready to announce as I get back to Japan!”
He did not specify in what capacity Pacquiao would be involved in the event scheduled for 21st April.
Pacquiao’s last fight was a unanimous decision victory over American Adrien Broner in January.
Mayweather, who beat Pacquiao in a drab 2015 bout, came out of retirement briefly to score an easy victory over kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa in the main event of Rizin’s prestigious New Year’s Eve show.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. knows how to make money and anyone who operates in a similar space would be wise to emulate some of his cash-collecting practices. Manny Pacquiao understands the game. That likely explains why he just agreed to a deal with Rizin to appear at Rizin 15 on April 21. Rizin is the same company that paid Mayweather a reported $9 million for an exhibition bout with Tenshin Nasukawa.
