Manny Pacquiao returns from retirement on Saturday night to face WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios. Whether Pacquiao’s decision to return to the ring proves to be ill-advised or a moment that grows his legend is still to be seen.
At 46, Pacquiao is older than George Foreman when Foreman defeated Michael Moorer to win the IBF and WBA heavyweight titles in 1994. Pacquiao also hasn’t fought professionally in just shy of four years, retiring after being beaten by Yordenis Ugas in August 2021. That Ugas fight came more than two years after Pacquiao’s previous bout.
Pacquiao is boxing’s only eight-division world champion, winning his first title, the WBC flyweight belt, at 19. He kept climbing in weight and finding more and more success as he emerged as one of boxing’s biggest stars alongside rival Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Pacquiao and Mayweather would eventually find their way into the ring together, ending years of “will they, won’t they” negotiations and producing a less-than-thrilling fight a few years past its best-by date. Pacquiao had already lost a close split decision to Timothy Bradley and been knocked out cold in his fourth bout with Juan Manuel Marquez before meeting Mayweather.
“I’ve been enjoying training camp like I did in the past. Just like when I was 26-years-old,” Pacquiao said at the final press conference. “The discipline is still the same. Even with my layoff, my passion is still there.
“I’m here because I love to go toe-to-toe. I want to give the fans what they want. That’s my goal every time I step into the ring.”
Why Manny Pacquiao believes that, even at 46, an upset could be brewing against Mario Barrios on Saturday
Brian Campbell
Despite the Mayweather loss, Pacquiao would go on to have two more championship reigns at welterweight, the last of which came with his win over Keith Thurman in 2019 when Pacquiao was 40 years old, more than 20 years after he won his first world title.
“I’m here again for another big fight. I’m so thankful to the fans for all their support,” Pacquiao said. “Without the fans, boxing is dead. I really appreciate their support. I’m OK being the underdog. I’ve been the underdog many times. I’m always bringing surprises.”
Now, Pacquiao looks to come back from a retirement, and a six-year stretch that has seen him fight professionally just once, to face a young, hungry champion in Barrios.
“We’re back in boxing again. We’re going to show the world that boxing is still alive and kicking. Manny Pacquiao is still here. I’m back,” Pacquiao said. “It’s amazing to still be fighting here in this arena. It’s a blessing to still be here giving good fights for the fans. I’m excited for the fans.
“I respect Barrios, he’s a champion and he works hard also. This is for the fans.”
Barrios is no stranger to the spotlight. In 2021, he fought Gervonta “Tank” Davis, giving a fine account of himself in a slugfest before Davis scored a stoppage in the 11th round. Barrios followed up that loss with a decision loss to Keith Thurman in another headline fight.
Barrios has not lost since dropping the decision to Thurman, picking up the interim WBA welterweight title with a win over Yordenis Ugas along the way. That title was eventually upgraded to a full championship after Terence Crawford moved up in weight after becoming undisputed at 147 pounds.
In November, Barrios made the first defense of his world title, going to a draw with Abel Ramos.
“It’s been a long camp and we’re ready to step in there come Saturday,” Barrios said. “This is historic. Hats off to Pacquiao for daring to be great. But it’s my time now and I’m gonna show that come Saturday.
“I’m not going in there looking for the knockout, but I’m going in there with bad intentions and power in both hands. I won’t hesitate to pull the trigger.”
The undercard features another title bout when WBC and WBO junior middleweight champion Sebastian Fundora takes on Tim Tszyu for a second time. Fundora earned the title with his first win over Tszyu, a 2024 split decision that was a contender for Fight of the Year that became a bloody war thanks to a stray elbow. Now fresh off TKO win over Chordale Booker in March, Funodra looks to repeat the feat once more.
Plus, former titleholder Isaac Cruz is back in action at junior welterweight. Cruz was expected to face Angel Fierro, but Fierro was forced to withdraw from the bout on Friday due to a bad weight cut. In his place will be Omar Salcido. And opening the PPV is a featherweight showdown between former junior featherweight champion Brandon Figueroa and Joet Gonzalez.
Let’s take a closer look at the rest of the card with the latest odds before making a prediction and expert pick on the main event below.
Barrios vs. Pacquiao fight card, odds
Odds via BetRivers
- Mario Barrios (c) -275 vs. Manny Pacquiao +210, WBC welterweight title
- Tim Tszyu -155 vs. Sebastian Fundora (c) +125, WBC junior middleweight title
- Isaac Cruz -550 vs. Omar Salcido +380, junior welterweights
- Brandon Figueroa -260 vs. Joet Gonzalez +200, featherweights
- David Picasso -2000 vs. Kyonosuke Kameda +950, junior featherweights
- Mark Magsayo -800 vs. Jorge Mata +500, lightweights
- Gary Allen Russell Jr. -1600 vs. Hugo Castaneda +800, junior lightweights
Prediction
Pacquiao looks to be in fantastic physical shape ahead of the fight, and he has spoken several times vowing to show “the old Pacquiao” on Saturday night. Therein lies the question at the center of this fight: Will we actually see the old Pacquiao or just an old Pacquiao.
Against Ugas, Pacquiao didn’t show much of what made him a special fighter in the past, and he left the ring beat up and looking like a fighter ready to move on from fighting. It’s hard to see how four years out of the ring and four more years of life have transformed Pacquiao into someone who will show up in the ring looking like a younger version of himself.
Barrios is also going to have some big physical advantages in the fight, most notably four inches of reach and more than six inches of height. Pacquiao is going to have to navigate those disadvantages in order to get inside and get any offense going. It’s unlikely that it will be an easy task as Barrios is very active with his punches, which should let him punish Pacquiao before Pacquiao can get close enough to let his hands go.
At some point, it seems there’s a fair chance that Barrios hurts Pacquiao enough that the fight gets stopped, whether it’s Pacquiao being unable to rise from the canvas or the referee or corner stepping in to save Pacquaio from further punishment. Pick: Mario Barrios via TKO8
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