The legendary Manny Pacquiao will end a retirement of almost four years when he faces Mario Barrios for the Welter WBC weight championship on July 19, according to an ESPN report.
Pacquiao, 46, has become one of the largest sports stars during a career that saw him capture world titles in eight weight classes, which makes him the first fighter to achieve the feat. While Pacquiao accumulated championship belts, he became a rival of his compatriot Superstar Floyd Mayweather, with years of missed negotiations for a fight until the couple finally came up against a disappointing fight of 2015 which led to a victory of Mayweather.
Despite the defeat in Mayweather showing that Pacquiao was no longer the dangerous fighter he had been over the past two decades, Pacquiao would win two other world titles. He retired after losing his Welter WBA weight title in a fight with Yordenis Ugás in August 2021.
The rumors of a return from Pacquiao have appeared at various times since the loss of Ugás, several times with barrios as a potential opponent.
Barrios, 29, won the WBC temporary Welter weight title with a victory against Fabian Maidana in May 2024. He was then raised to the full champion after the champion of the time, Terence Crawford, increased by weight.
Barrios retained his title in November after fighting Abel Ramos in a draw in a bloody war against the Jake Paul card subcart against Mike Tyson. The other most notable fight in Barrios occurred in June 2021 when he suffered a loss of TKO against Gervonta “tank” Davis in a very competitive fight.
Pacquia-Barrios’ fight will probably not be officially announced before the conclusion of the current Pacquiao campaign for a siege in the Senate in the Philippines, where it previously served from 2016 to 2022. The election takes place on May 12.
