Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao confirmed his return to the ring to fight on July 19 after four years of retirement to fight for the WBC welterweight world title against Mario Barrios and seek to enlarge an indelible legacy in the world of pugilism.
Pacquiao, the only man to have been a world champion in eight different categories, announced his retirement after losing on points to Yordenis Ugas, and although the possibility of a comeback was always there, it is now a reality, which has generated different reactions.
Pacquiao is not the first boxer to come out of retirement at an older age, 46, and his team cannot hide their excitement at seeing the Filipino return to boxing activity.
Justin Fortune, who was his strength and conditioning coach for almost 60 fights, spoke to Australian Eli Seckbach, and talked about the best qualities that Pacquiao has to ensure a successful return to the ring, highlighting the power and speed.
Fortune admitted that the fight against Barrios, “will be a good fight; Pacquiao is still strong, fast and very experienced,” he explained.
In the same conversation, lightweight fighter Giovanni Cabrera said: “For most conventional fighters, it doesn’t matter who you are or how old you are, the important thing is the angle. When Manny Pacquiao slides in and connects with the left, it’s something hard to deal with. If George Foreman did it, Pacquiao can do it too”.
Fortune and Cabrera agreed that a victory over Barrios, who defeated Yordenis Ugas, would cement Pacquiao’s status in the sport’s history.
Division of opinions
However, not everyone is as optimistic as Fortune and Cabrera; former world champion Amir Khan had a sparring session with Mario Barrios, and advised Pacquiao to be very careful when facing the American who calls himself “Aztec Warrior”.
Khan said one thing Pacquiao should bear in mind is the young age of his opponent, who turns 30 on May 18.
“Virgil Hunter and I used to train together, I used to train a lot alongside Barrios. He’s a very good boxer. I don’t know how much Manny has left. If they were in their prime I would say Pac-Man would win. But this could be a tricky fight for him,” Khan explained.
For some, Barrios is not a legitimate champion, after he was proclaimed champion of the category after the division rise of Terence Crawford.
His first title defense against Abel Ramos, which took place on the Tyson-Paul card, was a very close fight, but no one should forget that Pacquiao has not fought officially for four years, and that the exhibition fight against Rukiya Anpo was not pleasant at all.
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