In another of those boxing stories in which the temptation for the gym and to turn on the aggression as in the old days, Filipino legend Manny Pacquiao announced his return to the ring, after officially retiring four years ago, now to challenge Mario Barrios for his WBC welterweight title.
According to ESPN, the fight will be next in Las Vegas and will be promoted by PBC on pay-per-view
Pacquiao’s flirtation with a comeback
Pacquiao, who is currently 46 years old, last fought in August 2021 and suffered a unanimous decision loss to Yordenis Ugas in a bout for the WBA super welterweight championship. After the defeat, Pacquiao announced his retirement on social media and explained that he wanted to focus on his political career
He currently holds his mark as the only fighter to have been world champion in eight divisions and despite his retirement he has remained close to boxing, the sport that gave him fame and fortune and took him off the streets
This fight finally confirms the Filipino fighter’s desire to put the gloves back on, at least in the last year. In July 2024, he took part in an exhibition boxing match against kickboxer Rukiya Anpo and since the end of last year there has been speculation about his fight against Barrios.
For his part, WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman told Boxing King Media that they were speculating with the idea of Barrios exposing his belt against Pacquiao in the summer, after Pac-Man had been cleared to fight by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. When this happens, the WBC has a clause that specifies that a former champion can request a title fight if he wishes to come out of retirement:
“Mario Barrios will face Manny Pacquiao in July. It’s a tremendous fight,” Sulaiman explained.
While he prepares for his return, Pacquiao will be inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame next month and in his country is in a close race for the Senate of the Philippines, where he has already been a senator between 2016 and 2022. This would limit him to formally announce his return until after the elections scheduled for May 12, as a mere formality
Originating from San Antonio, Texas, Barrios (29-2-1, 18 KOs) comes from fighting against Abel Ramos in the preliminaries of the fight between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson and obtained his title in September 2023 by beating Ugas on points. He later became absolute champion in June 2024 after Terence Crawford was designated “champion in recess” by the WBC after moving up to 154 pounds to face Israil Madrimov.
The only two losses on his record were against Gervonta Davis and Keith Thurman.
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