Boxing super fight between Manny Pacquiao and Buakaw Banchamek reportedly set for January 2024
Retired boxing legend Manny Pacquiao is set to face Muay Thai icon Buakaw Banchamek in a super fight slated for January 2024.
Bebangpakong (Worathep Makapokha), a renowned Thai sports insider, revealed in a post on Facebook that Pacquiao and Banchamek would square off as part of a mega-sized sports event called ‘The Match 3’ early next year. The information reportedly came from Vinij Lertratanachai, the CEO of Fresh Air Festival Co Ltd, who will be promoting the matchup.
On July 21, a press conference is scheduled to take place at 4:00 p.m. ICT where more details will be announced, including an official contract signing ceremony between the two combat sports stars.
Fresh Air Festival is best known for booking the Manchester United and Liverpool football match dubbed ‘THE MATCH Bangkok Century Cup 2022’ last year. In March, the company also hosted a six-red snooker tournament billed as ‘The 2023 Pathum Thani Six-Red World Championship’, otherwise known as ‘The Match 2.’
Buakaw is one of the most decorated Muay Thai practitioners in the history of the sport, competing in more than 270 career bouts. He is a former WMC and WBC Muay Thai world champion and has won the K-1 World Max tournament on two separate occasions. Buakaw walked away from the sport in 2019 but has since competed in exhibition bouts and kickboxing matches, including an appearance for Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship in 2022. He scored a first-round knockout against Erkan Varo at BKFC Thailand 3 in September.
His next appearance inside the squared circle will come against another legend in the art of eight limbs, Saenchai. The two men are scheduled to scrap at BKFC Asia 5 on November 5.
Manny Pacquiao, of course, needs no introduction. ‘PacMan’ is one of the most beloved boxers in the history of the sport, becoming the first and only eight-division world champion while capturing 12 different titles during his illustrious career. He was also the first boxer to win the lineal championship in five different weight classes. Pacquiao actively competed for more than 25 years but has since put more focus on his political career, serving as a Senator of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022.
Pacquiao went 62-8 in his career, his last appearance coming against Yordenis Ugás in August 2021. ‘PacMan’ came up short in the contest, suffering a unanimous decision defeat. A month later, he would announce his retirement from the sport. “My boxing career is already over. It’s done because I’ve been in boxing for a long time and my family says that it is enough,” Pacquiao told Toni Gonzaga in a September 2021 interview.
