Following a partnership with PowerFan—a platform that empowers authors and content creators–, Jun Aquino, a digital artist, will mint and auction five NFT portraits of the upcoming Manny Pacquiao fight, including an original painting signed by Manny Pacquiao a statement on August XX reads.
Manny Pacquiao to Take on Yordenis Ugas in Las Vegas
These NFTs will be auctioned from August 20 to August 27 at 6 PM PST. The auction will be for the original painting made for the Manny Pacquiao vs Errol Spence fight, before Errol was injured and replaced. The fight will be at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on August 21. It is expected to be another pay-per-view headliner for Pacman, the former eight-division champion. In total, Manny has generated over $1.2 billion in revenue from the 25 PPV bouts.
Pacman is back to the ring for the second time after turning 40, challenging Yordenis Ugas, the holder of the WBA belt. It is the title he held in 2019 when he defeated Keith Thurman.
NFT to Commemorate the Fight
As per PowerFan, the Unified World Welterweight Championship Custom Art is to commemorate the fight coming at a time when NFT-fever is spreading across the crypto and blockchain world. The fight may also be the last for Manny Pacquiao “Pacman,” the professional boxer and a sitting senator in the Philippines. Immediately after the close of the week-long bidding period, it shall be closed and the winner announced.
From August 20, NFT fans, including fans of Manny Pacquiao, will be free to place bids as many times as they want. The winning bids will receive the NFTs and a high-quality physical printout with a personal thank you note from the artist.
At the same time, PowerFan revealed that winners will receive behind-the-scenes videos showing the professional boxer and Jun interaction when the portrait was being drawn. Additionally, they will have exclusive access to future NFT art sales.
According to PowerFan, proceeds from the sale of the NFT will go towards the Manny Pacquiao Foundation (MPF). It was established in 2019 and is committed to spreading hope across the world.
Four Additional NFT Series Available for Sale
In addition to the Unified World Welterweight Championship Custom Art, four other NFT series by Jun Aquino will be available for auction. The Manny Pacquiao NFT Series will be limited edition pieces comprising ten digital artworks selling for $2.5k.
The Fighting Harada NFT Series “Flyweight & BantamWeight World Champion” has 15 pieces, each selling for $850. Additionally, the Eder Jofre NFT Series “The Golden Bantam: One of the Greatest Punchers of All Time ” releases 20 artwork selling for $500 apiece.
Lastly, the Ceferino Garcia NFT Series “The Most Victorious Filipino Boxer of All Time” mints 25 digital arts, each selling for $250. For every NFT purchase, the buyer will receive a printout and a personalized video from Jun on top of VIP early access to future launches.
NFTs unlocks Value for Creators
Jun Aquino, a Fine Arts graduate from the University of the Philippines, is also known as the “Painter of Champions.” He is also the first artist from Asia to be inducted into the West Coast Boxing Hall of Fame and a former editorial cartoonist of the Philippines Free Press magazine, which he held for 25 years until 2011.
In a recent interview, Jesse Krieger, the Chief Content Officer of PowerFan.io, said they are looking to capitalize on events. With the Coronavirus pandemic being tamed and governments loosening contagion measures, the executive said there was “a real appetite for people to get together,” attending events. NFTs as an innovation, Jesse adds, unlock value for creators whose pieces—books or artworks, always have intrinsic value.
