Manny Pacquiao is retired, but he competed in an exhibition boxing match in July, and he has kicked around a few different scenarios for a return to the ring.
If Pacquiao decides to give it another go in a real professional fight, WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios wants to be his opponent.
Barrios’ trainer Bob Santos told Boxing Scene that Barrios wants to fight Pacquiao or Conor Benn in his next fight. “Mario’s earned the right to be in a high-profile fight, and we’ll see how it plays out.”
Pacquiao is 45 and hasn’t fought professionally since he dropped a unanimous decision to Ugas in August 2021. Pacquiao looked slow in that fight and even slower in his exhibition bout with Rukiya Anpo four months ago.
Ring Magazine’s Jake Donovan said this on X after the fight: “Not sure how hard Manny Pacquiao trained for this exhibition, or if this just [is] what’s left of his 45-year-old body. Did nothing at all to make me want to see him in a real fight ever again, whether Mario Barrios or any other relevant welterweight.”
Many in the boxing community will echo Donovan’s sentiments, but Pacquiao is the kind of man who loves challenges and trying to prove people wrong. Still, he may be biting off more than he can chew if he accepts a challenge from the WBC champion.
Barrios, 29, is coming off a split-decision draw against Abel Ramos in November on the undercard of the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson event in Texas on Netflix.
Because of the enormity of the event and the massive viewership the card generated, Barrios got an opportunity to perform in front of the largest audience of his career. Unfortunately for Barrios, he didn’t produce his best performance.
The fight with Ramos was an entertaining war, but it was a scrap the champion was favored to win. Barrios was dropped in the sixth round, and for a spell, it looked as if he might get stopped.
He showed heart to recover and earn the draw, but it’s tough to say his stock went up from the result. The welterweight division is arguably in the weakest state the sport has seen in decades.
With household names like Terence Crawford, Errol Spence, and others moving up to 154 pounds, the 147-pound division is being held down by lesser-known champions like Barrios, Brian Norman Jr., and Eimantas Stanionis. Of the four fighters who are champions in the division, Barrios is the only one with a loss on his record.
Even with Barrios having the look of a vulnerable champion, he’d likely be a massive favorite over Pacquiao. Barrios might be the target of wrath from his peers and others in the boxing community if he fights and beats Pacquiao.
It seems clear he is interested in securing a sizable payday against a big name, and few are as well-known as Pacquiao. We’ll see if Pacquiao takes Barrios’ challenge and, if so, if he’s up to it.
