Pacquiao is a living boxing legend, and despite being 46 years old, the Filipino refuses to hang up his gloves.
After drawing with champion Mario Barrios on July 19, ‘Pac-man’ Pacquiao has been ranked as the number one welterweight in the World Boxing Council rankings.
The update, published on August 8, places Pacquiao just behind Barrios, who still holds the world title.
This change displaces the previous number one, the undefeated Frenchman Souleymane Cissokho, who had led the rankings after defeating Egidijus Kavaliauskas in May.
Manny Pacquiao’s unexpected return to professional boxing
Pacquiao had announced his return to the ring earlier this year, after officially retiring following his 2021 defeat to Yordenis Ugas and since then, he had only participated in exhibition fights, so his return to professional boxing surprised locals and strangers alike, generating enormous expectations to know the fitness and boxing level of the Filipino.
In May, the WBC initially ranked him fifth in its rankings. Curiously, he did not appear in the official lists for June and July. However, the draw against Barrios in a very close fight in which two judges scored it 114-114 and one gave Barrios the advantage 115-113. Numbers that were enough to give him back a privileged place in the category.
Manny Pacquiao’s record
Pacquiao currently has a professional record of 62 wins, 8 losses and 3 draws, with 39 wins by knockout.
Who will be Manny Pacquiao’s next opponent?
Although there is no official confirmation yet, rumors of a possible rematch against Mario Barrios are on the table. Given the evenness of the first fight, a second fight could be well received by both fans and promoters.
On the other hand, the number one ranking does not force Pacquiao to face Barrios immediately, as he can choose any boxer within the WBC’s top 15 ranking, leaving other options open if the Filipino and his team consider another fight more attractive.
With his comeback consolidated and his position as the number one contender, Manny Pacquiao proves that his boxing story is not yet over.
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