Pacquiao partners with NFT, crypto firms

MANILA, Philippines – Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao has joined forces with rising NFT (non-fungible tokens) wallet NFT One and START to bring new experiences to his Filipino fans.

Pacquiao, also a former senator and businessman, said that his venture in NFT is an opportune time to help Filipinos familiarize themselves with this technology.

“We can help more Filipinos through cryptocurrency,” said the 43-year-old Pacquiao, adding that NFTs and cryptocurrencies are the future of business.

For his part, Pacquiao’s long-time business manager Arnold Vegafria said that the partnership only means that the ring icon is trusted by international Asian businessmen due to his untarnished credibility and impressive credentials.

“The full trust and confidence of the Asian businessmen in Asia is always solid for our honorable Manny Pacquiao that’s why he was chosen as honorary chairman of START INC,” Vegafria explained.

“When it comes to NFTs, Singapore, China and Japan are the biggest countries involved in this new platform of cryptocurrency, and they have full trust for Sen. Pacquiao, who will always be a crowd drawer, a great influencer, and a good global public model for their brand.”

Pacquiao’s legal adviser Atty. Brando Viernesto, also the legal consultant of START Inc. where Pacquiao is an honorary chairman, said that the former eight-division world champion’s entry to the NFT arena is like a one-two punch combination.

“We think that Sen. Pacquiao's entry in the NFT arena will also entice other sports stars to join in the NFT bandwagon and allow fans to be closer with their idols using NFTs,” Viernesto said.

NFTs are cryptographic assets on a blockchain, which secures and stores information as a crucial part of a cryptocurrency system.

NFTONE is a trading platform and market place middleman application — where NFTs digitally representing any asset including online-only assets such as digital artworks, and real assets like real state, among others, can be stored in a digital wallet.

Meanwhile, Pacquiao urged his fellow athletes to take part in the NFT revolution either as investors or as NFT token endorsers themselves.

“They just need to know how to invest in crypto,” he added.

Pacquiao is fresh off his dominant win in his exhibition bout in South Korea against YouTuber DK Yoo.

“I enjoyed my fight with DK Yoo because I am proud to fight for my country and to help my people,” said Pacquiao of his showcase bout, whose proceeds will be donated to the victims of the war in Ukraine and his housing project for the poor.

Pacquiao, however, is uncertain on whether to return for a serious pro fight after having retired last year.

But if ever Pacquiao decides to do so, Yu Hua Shi, president of NFT One, and Kousei, founder and CEO of STARJPN, vowed to support his comeback.

Yu Hua Shi himself donated 10,000 shares of NFTONE Ltd. to Pacquiao as part of the latter’s perks as honorary chairman of START.