Manny Pacquiao appears set to make a historic comeback in the sport of boxing, despite being warned not to return to the ring.
The Filipino fighter has not scored a win in boxing since a 2019 split decision over Keith Thurman when he was 40 years old. That was six years ago. His last bout was a 12-round decision loss to Yordenis Ugas. The beating was so grueling that Pacquiao struggled to open his eyes days later, and his wife, Jinkee, was seen at the time on video helping feed him.
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Regardless, four years after that defeat to Ugas, Pacquiao’s comeback is seemingly booked as World Boxing Council (WBC) boss Mauricio Sulaiman confirmed: “Mario Barrios will fight Manny Pacquiao in July.”
|
Manny Pacquiao & Mario Barrios’s professional boxing records (as of 02/05/25) |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Manny Pacquiao |
Mario Barrios |
|
|
Fights |
72 |
32 |
|
Wins |
62 |
29 |
|
Losses |
8 |
2 |
|
Draws |
2 |
1 |
“That’s a tremendous fight,” he added. “There’s just [a lot of] interest in the division. It’s a great weight category.”
Elaborating on the match-up further, Sulaiman said: “It was released. The PBC, Manny Pacquiao, first title was at flyweight with WBC, he wants to retire as a WBC champion, so he’s fighting in the welterweight division.”
Not everyone thinks a Pacquiao return is a good idea.
“I wish him all the same [but] the truth is the truth,” said Oscar de la Hoya, a former opponent of Pacquiao’s, who was also a legendary fighter in his day, and now the founder of Golden Boy Promotions. “He’s obviously not the same Pacquiao who fought me, and fought the greats.”
“He’s not young like he used to be. I’m sure he still has that power, but … yeah, be careful.”
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