Manny Pacquiao is being held by the referee as DK Yoo falls during their exhibition fight in South Korea. Photo from MP Promotions
MANILA, Philippines-Manny Pacquiao expectedly outclassed South Korean YouTuber and martial artist DK Yoo on Saturday at KINTEX in Goyang, South Korea.
Pacquiao, who could’ve easily stopped Yoo inside their six-round charity boxing match if he wanted to, settled for a unanimous decision win.
But more than the victory, Pacquiao relished his return to the ring after stepping away in September of last year.
“[It’s] nice to be back in the ring, especially this charity exhibition match and I’m going to continue my training to get back in shape,” said Pacquiao, who tipped the scales at 161.1 pounds during the weigh-in.
Pacquiao, who turns 44 six days from now, picked up the pace in the third round while Yoo was noticeably exhausted from that point on.
The eight-division champion knocked down the much bigger Yoo several times including twice in the sixth round though the referee called one a slip.
The exhibition would’ve ended in the fifth but Yoo managed to buy himself a lot of time by claiming Pacquiao hit him behind the head.
Manny Pacquiao and DK Yoo pose for a photo after their charity exhibition match in South Korea. –MP PROMOTIONS PHOTO
Part of Pacquiao’s proceeds in the match will be used to provide shelter for the poor and homeless families as part of his Pacman Village projects.
Pacquiao’s last appearance in an official fight was in August 2021 when he took a stunning decision loss to Cuba’s Yordenis Ugas, announcing his retirement a month later to pursue his bid for the Philippine presidency.
Pacquiao, however, doesn’t seem like he’s planning to stay retired after he recently expressed his eagerness to challenge undefeated welterweight champions Terence Crawford and Errol Spence.
He also hinted at a potential comeback next year during his post-fight interview in the ring after toying with Yoo.
“You’ll see,” Pacquiao said when asked about fighting in 2023.
He had suggested prior to the match that he may not be done with fighting, calling Sunday’s bout a “very good stepping stone to come back”.
“This is a great opportunity to come back in the ring,” he added. “I thought it was easy to retire… I really missed boxing.”
Pacquiao, who hung up his gloves with a 62-8-2 record, admitted: “I felt lonely when I retired from boxing.” With reports from AFP