SEOUL, South Korea — The stage is all set for Manny Pacquiao's ring return on Sunday noon (Saturday night in the United States), his first in 16 months.

Though Pacquiao won't be boxing an official bout when he locks horns with Korean mixed martial arts expert DK Yoo at the KINTEX in the neighboring city of Goyang, it remains a high-profile event given the Filipino star's lofty stature.

The two southpaws will fight for six two-minute rounds since it is an exhibition but Pacquiao and Yoo are not treating their meeting as a glorified sparring session.

Not at all.

Since arriving here earlier in the week, the 43-year-old eight-division champion has been training diligently under the watchful eyes of his local trainers.

Last time he fought, Pacquiao was stunned by Cuban Yordenis Ugas in Las Vegas.

Like Pacquiao, Yoo is not leaving any stone unturned in his stab for stardom.

In fact, Yoo feels that his vast background in MMA will propel him to the most sensational win of his career.

"I am going to be faster," Yoo said.

Based on training videos that have been posted online, Yoo is expected to lean heavily on his lightning-quick right hand, a weapon he has been showing off when sparring.

To ensure that he doesn't fall into a trap being set up by his Korean rival, Pacquiao is digging deep as well knowing that Yoo is not a soju-loving drunkard from Gangnam or Itaewon called in to fight.

To spice things up, Pacquiao and Yoo are scheduled to come face-to-face in a press conference scheduled Friday.