Manny Pacquiao Ending Retirement For Fight With Mario Barrios
Legendary boxer Manny Pacquiao will return to the ring after nearly 4 years. He is set to fight Mario Barrios for the WBC welterweight championship on July 19. The bout will take place in Las Vegas and will be available via PBC on Prime Video pay-per-view. Pac-Man is supposed to officially be inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame next month. He is currently in the middle of a senate race in the Philippines, where he served as a senator for his country from 2016 to 22.
Pac-Man Is Back
Manny Pacquiao last fought in a professionally sanctioned bout in August 2021, when he suffered a unanimous decision loss to Yordenis Ugas for the WBA welterweight title. After that fight, Pac-Man announced his retirement via social media and shared that he would be focusing on his political career.
Pacquiao, 46, participated in an exhibition bout against kickboxer Rukiya Anpo in July 2024. Rumors have circulated over the past year indicating that Manny would come out of retirement to face Barrios.
At the Canelo Alvarez vs. William Scull event last weekend, WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman shared with Boxing King Media that there was a plan for Barrios to defend his belt against Pacquiao this summer. He also said that Manny was cleared to fight by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. “At this time, Mario Barrios is going to face Manny Pacquiao in July. That’s a tremendous fight”, Sulaiman said. The WBC has a rule allowing a former champion to request a shot at a title when coming out of retirement.
Pacquiao vs. Barrios will likely be at the MGM Grand Garden Arena since Lady Gaga’s Mayhem Ball Tour is taking place at the T-Mobile Arena. That shouldn’t matter much to Pacquiao since he has enjoyed success at the MGM, including winning his first major world title in 2001.
Quick Look at Mario Barrios
Barrios (29-2-1, 18 KOs) last fought on the undercard of the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson Netflix event. His battle against Abel Ramos ended in a draw, which resulted in Barrios retaining his WBC welterweight belt. Barrios, 29, won the interim WBC title in September 2023 when he defeated Ugas. His only two losses have been against Gervonta “Tank” Davis and Keith “One Time” Thurman.
Thoughts
Well, the 46-year-old Manny Pacquiao is fighting again. He is the first and only eight-division champion. He has competed in many classic bouts and will be a Hall of Famer for about a month before meeting Barrios. There is nothing left to prove, and he has already solidified his place in boxing history. I’m sure many boxing fans will tune in to see if he can knock the younger WBC welterweight king off his throne.
