The signature smile as he walked toward the ring, as well the familiar charisma that attracted fans wherever he goes – evident in the huge crowd that filled the 37,000 Saitama Super Arena – was still there for Manny Pacquiao.

Sadly, it seemed that those were all that remained.

Maybe three rounds were not enough or Father Time was simply catching up, the only eight division world champion couldn’t rediscover the speed and firepower to knock Rukiya Anpo out and claim a full victory in their exhibition bout.

A thrilling and action-packed three-round fight between the Filipino boxing legend and the Japanese kickboxer ended in a draw on Sunday, July 28, in Japan.

Since they fought under special rules, no rounds were officially judged and there was no other way to win the fight other than a knockout, thus, resulting in the draw outcome after the bout went the full distance.

But there was no denying that even with the battle-scarred Pacquiao pouring his all to turn back the clock, the younger and taller Anpo had weapons and means to make it hard for the 45-year-old boxing great.

Pacquiao was already bothered just by the reach of the 6-foot Anpo and yet the Japanese kickboxer made it even harder by throwing slick jabs that kept the boxing great fighting from distance.

Pacquiao tried to press the fight and close the gap but he was being stopped by good counters from Anpo.

A big right after a flurry of punches from Pacquiao seemed to have hurt Anpo but the Japanese refused to get overwhelmed and retaliated with his own aggression that even caught Pacquiao on the ropes.

Pacquiao landed another left hook in the third round as he seemed to be finally getting the hang on fighting against Anpo’s length. The Japanese, however, took the challenge head on as they engaged on a thrilling exchange towards the end of the third round – much to the delight of the huge crowd.