We’ve seen high-profile boxers fight into their 40s in the past. Some of them have even taken long layoffs before doing so, like George Foreman. But what Manny Pacquiao is about to do feels almost unprecedented. After 72 professional fights and a break of four years, PacMan is officially set to fight Mario Barrios for a world title belt at 46 years old.
In the eyes of many, it’s an extremely dangerous decision. Pacquiao was outclassed in his last fight, back when he was 42 years old, and he hasn’t had any high-level exhibition boxing bouts since then. Many former boxers have weighed in on the situation, and the legendary Sugar Ray Leonard is one of them.
Sugar Ray Leonard tells Manny Pacquiao to be ready to get hit
While being interviewed by Fight Hub TV, Leonard was asked about Pacquiao’s return. While he doesn’t think it’s “foolish” what Pacquiao is doing at such an advanced age, he did give him a warning of sorts.
When I came back, I didn’t realize it was five years I’ve been out of this ring. You gotta get used to being hit, you gotta get used to being trained that hard, that level. It’s more mental, more psychological, than it is physical… Maybe he can do it. Maybe he knows the right thing to do.
Leonard knows a thing about making a comeback at a late age. He came out of retirement in 1997 to fight Hector Camacho for the IBC middleweight belt at 40 years old. It didn’t go as planned, as Leonard lost via 5th round TKO in what ended up being the final fight of his career.
Camacho was 34 at the time of that fight, so the parallels aren’t the same as 46-year-old Pacquiao fighting 30-year-old Barrios, but it could prove to be a cautionary tale.
Read the full article here
