In what could be a measure of fitness for an ambitious chase for a professional boxing comeback and a shot at becoming a world champion once more, Filipino boxing legend Manny Pacquiao is looking at nothing other than a convincing victory against Japanese kickboxer Rukiya Anpo in their three-round exhibition at the Saitama Super Arena on Sunday, July 28.

All eyes are on Pacquiao’s return to the boxing ring — and whether Father Time has caught up to him or not – after an almost two-year inactivity as a rumored title fight against World Boxing Council welterweight champion Mario Barrios continues to grow louder.

And fighting at a 152-pound catchweight against 6-foot Anpo  – the tallest fighter Pacquiao would ever face – should be a good gauge if the eight-division world champion, at 45-years-old, still has the speed and firepower to be competitive.

The 28-years-old Japanese foe, for one, is not a pushover as a former K1 lightweight champion, boasting a kickboxing record of 36-8-1 with 14 knockouts.

Pacquiao, however, still has a more illustrious career with a boxing record 62-8-2 with 39 knockouts, although he admitted that his preparations for the exhibition was still far from what he usually does in a professional fight.

“I'm not boasting myself but in terms of boxing I'm like a professor of boxing. They think boxing is more physical but 60 percent of boxing is like in here,” said Pacquiao while pointing to his head in a promotional video.

“To have the proper execution of all those strategies. The reason why I was able to capture many different weight divisions is because of that,” he added.

“He is a global star or rather a hero in Asia. I'm excited to fight him,” Anpo said of Pacquiao.

Pacquiao trained occasionally in his hometown in General Santos City before taking his preparations to a higher gear when he landed in Japan just a few days ago.

The Filipino boxing great though seemed to have never skipped a beat based on his open workouts although that should be displayed on top of the ring to make the rumored title challenge against Barrios a reality.

Pacquiao told a handful of Filipino and Japanese reporters that he is looking at a pro boxing comeback by the last quarter of the year.

Should it come to fruition, Pacquiao would be in a position to break his own record as the oldest boxer to ever win a world welterweight title – a feat he achieved when he defeated Keith Thurman at the age of 40.

Pacquiao, however, has not fought professionally since losing to Yordenis Ugas in 2021.