30 July 2018 – Bangkok, Thailand: If there is one athlete who put Asia on the map of the international sporting scene, it is boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao.

Pacquiao’s in-ring achievements speak for itself as he is the only pugilist in history to capture major world titles in eight different weight classes and was long rated as the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world by most sporting news and boxing websites.

However, boxing’s popularity in the Asian region is slowly ebbing due to several factors, including Pacquiao’s imminent exit from the sport and the growing reputation of another form of combat sport like mixed martial arts.

Boxing promoters such as Bob Arum of Top Rank tried to replicate Pacquiao’s magic and rise to stardom with Chinese boxer Zou Shiming, but the 86-year-old American businessman failed to get the desired result.