By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao will be fighting his second boxing exhibition match as he is set to face Thai legend Buakaw Banchamek in the first quarter of 2024.
Pacquiao and Banchamek already made the exhibition official after a face-off ceremony was done last July 21, 2023, in Bangkok, Thailand to promote the fight.
Boxing’s only eight-division world champion was coming off a dominant exhibition debut fight against DK Yoo last December and is seeking to continue his momentum against a tougher former professional muay thai fighter in Banchamek.
According to fight promoter Vinij Lertratanachai, the fight will be earning around $25 million and will follow international boxing rules.
Both Pacquiao and Banchamek must meet the weight requirement of 154 pounds (70kg), a favorable weight class to the Filipino who once fought in the welterweight division in boxing.
There will be a total of six rounds in the fight with each period being three minutes with a two-minute break interval per round.
Lertratanachai added that there will be a World Boxing Council (WBC) “Legend Belt” on the line but further details are yet to be confirmed.
Pacquiao will be facing an entirely different beast this time compared to his walk-in-the-park matchup against Yoo last year.
Banchamek is a former No.1 ranked fighter in Thailand who held the 2011 and 2012 Thai Fight Tournament championship titles.
Known for his brute force and lightning-quick speed, the Thai legend is expected to bring the best out of Pacquiao once again despite retiring from the sport a couple of years ago.
As of this writing, the promoting body is also yet to confirm their standard gloves for the fight including the final venue.
