Manny Pacquiao is just one month away from making his shock return to boxing.
The 46-year-old Filipino great is set to face reigning WBC world welterweight champion Mario Barrios at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday July 19.
‘PacMan’ has not fought as a professional since the summer of 2021, going on to announce his retirement from the sport just a few months after he fell short in his attempt to dethrone former WBA welterweight champion Yordenis Ugas.
As for Barrios, the 30-year-old from San Antonio will make just the second defence of his WBC crown at 147lbs, having held the title since last June when he was elevated from interim champion after Terence Crawford opted to vacate the strap ahead of his move up to light-middleweight to face Israil Madrimov.
In an interview with BoxeoUrbanoNetwork, Ugas, who has also shared the ring with Barrios, has had his say on the upcoming showdown between his former rival’s, as he admits the latter finds himself in a ‘lose-lose’ situation when he faces ‘PacMan’ next month.
“It could be a lose-lose situation. If he wins, people will say, ‘Pacquiao was old.’ If he loses, they’ll say, ‘You lost to an old man.’
“Barrios is taking a big risk. I fought Pacquiao when he was coming off a huge win. He had just beaten the top welterweight at the time in 2019. This time it’s harder. Pacquiao’s coming off a four-year layoff and a loss. We’ll see. It’ll be a good fight, though.”
Should Pacquiao be victorious, the 46-year-old will become the oldest world welterweight champion of all time, breaking his own record that was set back in 2019 when he defeated Keith Thurman to capture the WBA title at 147lbs.