Last April, ONE Championship expanded its reach by promoting Muay Thai and kickboxing bouts. ONE’s 13th show in Manila featured two legends in the sport, Giorgio Petrosyan for kickboxing and Nong-o Gaiyanghadao for Muay Thai.
Earlier this month, ONE scored a coup by signing reigning WBC World Super Flyweight Champion Srisaket Sor Rungvisai (46-4-1). The fifth best pound-for-pound boxer in the world will defend his title and probably the first-ever ONE Super Series Boxing World Championship on October 6 in Bangkok, Thailand.
Yesterday, ONE Championship’s Chief Executive Officer Chatri Sityodtong made it known that he wants to help promote the next bout of one of boxing’s finest ever: Manny Pacquiao.
“I’d love to see him defend his title in the Philippines and give Filipino fans what they want in a mega card,” shared the amiable executive during the press conference for ONE: Reign of Kings.
“Manny, let’s do it.”
Pacquiao, the world’s only eight-division world champion and owns a 60-7-2 record, scored his first knockout win in nine years after stopping Lucas Matthysse last July 15. And Pacquiao is planning to have three to four more fights before he calls it a day.
What Sityodtong wants is for Pacquiao, who is a stakeholder in ONE Championship, to fight in Manila one last time.
“We could gather all of the heroes the Philippines have on a mega card and blast it out to the whole world,” Sityodtong added as Pacquiao last fought in Manila back in July 2 of 2006 against Óscar Larios.
Being the caretaker of martial arts, the goal of the Super Series is to showcase and promote the values taught by each discipline. Something that Pacquiao is advocating all throughout his career.
“What we want to showcase is all combat sports, and we want to get multiple division champions across all disciplines,” Sityodtong closed.
