(From left) Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao (C) ORICON NewS inc. ■“RIZIN.45” (31st/Saitama Super Arena)
CEO Nobuyuki Sakakibara held a general press conference after all the matches, and Manny Pacquiao, who entered the ring during the day’s break, and Floyd Mayweather, who previously fought at RIZIN twice, said, “Yes, it’s a good idea to fight on the RIZIN stage.” “He said,” he said, revealing that he is working towards a rematch of the century.
Pacquiao, who entered the ring at the 2022 New Year’s Eve tournament, declared, “I will fight at RIZIN in 2023,” but the fight could not materialize in 2023. CEO Sakakibara reflected, “We signed a contract with Pacquiao, but we couldn’t suggest anyone who could generate excitement, and as a result, a year passed.”
Under these circumstances, the possibility that “Mayweather vs. Pacquiao”, which was fought in the United States on May 2, 2015 and achieved record PPV sales, will be realized at RIZIN on New Year’s Eve 2023 has suddenly emerged. In the end, it was abolished, but CEO Sakakibara prefaced this by saying, “The date, time, and location have not been finalized,” and explained that both sides were positive about the fight.
Regarding this match, “RIZIN’s Japanese fans may think, “We don’t need something like that,” or “We should have more Ren Hiramoto matches,” but we also want to have a different perspective and hope for more matches worldwide, especially in North America. “We still need a projectile to get fans of RIZIN to turn to RIZIN,” he said, emphasizing the significance. He has been communicating with other top boxing professionals, and has positioned it as a challenge on a global scale, saying, “I don’t mind taking on challenges that will attract attention from overseas.”
Regarding the scale of the event, he said, “I’d like to hold it in a big venue, but I don’t think Tokyo Dome will be filled with Mayweather vs. Pacquiao.If we don’t create a festival, the general public won’t turn their heads, and they’ll only see RIZIN on New Year’s Eve.” I would like to take on the challenge of creating an event with a well-balanced lineup of centripetal and centrifugal forces that will get fans involved.I hope we can create the rematch of the century between Mayweather and Pacquiao for that icon.” .
2023-12-31 17:28:42
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