Who Is Chihiro Suzuki? Record and Accolades of Manny Pacquiao’s Next Opponent

As Manny Pacquiao is about to exit boxing, the opponent for his next fight has been revealed. Pacquiao, 45, hasn’t fought since his decision loss at the hands of Yordenis Ugas in 2021. Many potential opponents have emerged in the past few months, but Pacquiao settled for Chihiro Suzuki, which was unexpected, to say the least.

Earlier this year, a rematch against Floyd Mayweather was dangled in front of the populace by Pacquiao himself, but that fell apart quickly. Then, a showdown against Conor Benn made headlines, but the Englishman’s troubles with the BBBofC made that fight impossible. Now this! No one would have guessed the legendary eight-division champion would end up doing an exhibition match once again for RIZIN, but here we are. So who is Chihiro Suzuki? Here’s all one needs to know about Pacquiao’s next opponent!

Manny Pacquiao will fight an MMA champion

Manny Pacquiao is all set to face off against Japan’s RIZIN featherweight champion Chihiro Suzuki on July 28 on RIZIN 3. Suzuki boasts an impressive 13-3-0 record in MMA with seven wins coming by way of knockout. He is coming off three consecutive wins via knockout and he defended his title in his last fight against Masanori Kanehara in April this year.

Born on May 14, 1999, in the Mitaki neighborhood of Tokyo, Suzuki’s childhood was different than most Japanese kids. Chihiro Suzuki was born a “hafu”, which is a slang term for someone who is half-Japanese and half-foreigner. One of his parents is of Peruvian, Spanish, and Russian descent. As a result, Chihiro was bullied a lot while growing up. So, he had to learn to defend himself quickly. His dad enrolled him in karate classes. While in high school, he made a switch to MMA. Thus began his journey as a mixed martial artist.

Soon, Chihiro Suzuki set his sights on a professional MMA career. His dedication paid off in 2016 when he captured the RIZIN FF Amateur MMA Cup flyweight division title. This impressive victory opened the door for his highly anticipated pro debut in Pancrase just a few months later, in February 2017. Suzuki wasted no time making a statement in the professional ranks. His first two fights were explosive showcases of his talent, ending in spectacular knockout (KO) or technical knockout (TKO) victories. In fact, his second pro win came in a record-breaking fashion, achieved in a mere 8 seconds! This early success cemented his reputation as a rising star to watch in the MMA world.

The 25-year-old currently competes under the umbrella of Knock Out and RIZIN Fighting Federation as both a kickboxer and an MMA fighter. Interestingly, other than being the RIZIN featherweight champion, Suzuki is also ranked as the ninth-best super featherweight kickboxer in the world by Beyond Kick.

On the other hand, since Pacquiao is a former senator in the Philippines, and is expected to run for re-election next year, this could very well be his final appearance inside the ring. Having signed with the Japanese boxing promotion back in January 2023, this will be his first fight under their banner. It’s currently unclear whether it will be an exhibition like his fight against DK Yoo in South Korea in December 2022.

Pacquiao won his first major title in the sport in 1998 as a 112-pounder at age 19. His last title fight win was against Keith Thurman in July 2019 as a 147-pounder. In the meantime, there’s also chatter about Pacquiao possibly squaring off against another boxer, a fight which may not be an exhibition.

If not Chihiro Suzuki, who else?

According to a report from Mike Coppinger of ESPN, ‘Pac-Man’ was in talks with the WBC Interim welterweight champion Mario Barrios for a fight this fall. “I made history at 40 beating Keith Thurman and I feel at 45, I have a lot left in the game as I haven’t taken a lot of punishment over the last few years. I want to go out making history,” Pacquiao told ESPN.

They even spoke to Barrios, who seemed extremely excited to potentially square off against one of the best of his generation. Suggesting he has been looking up to Pacquiao forever, Barrios added, “To share the ring with him would be an honor and a dream come true.” So, it turns out, there’s a good chance the RIZIN fight wouldn’t be his last and fans may get to see ‘PacMan’ in action in the boxing ring one more time. 

With the latest update on Pacquiao’s next opponent, the rest of 2024 seems jam-packed with blockbuster fights for the legendary eight-division champion. But which one are you most excited about?