46-year-old Pacquiao promises return to ring will be ‘a good fight’
Manny Pacquiao said he’s back in the boxing ring because of the fans.
Their passion never waned even after the 46-year-old announced his retirement four years ago.
“Without the fans, boxing is dead,” Pacquiao said.
But the Hall of Famer hopes to show he still has plenty left in the tank following his long layoff when he faces reigning champion Mario Barrios for the WBC welterweight championship at the MGM Grand Garden on Saturday.
“I’m going to assure you, this Saturday is going to be a good fight. It’s been a while that I’ve been in boxing,” Pacquiao said Wednesday during a news conference at MGM Grand. “I’m still active in terms of exercising. The fans might be worried about my conditioning, but that’s why I need to prove that I’m not that kind of fighter that’s lazy.”
Pacquiao (62-8-2, 39 knockouts) hasn’t fought since losing by unanimous decision to Yordenis Ugas in August 2021 at T-Mobile Arena.
This will be Pacquiao’s 16th fight at MGM Grand Garden, where he’s 11-3-1 in his career. His last fight at the venue was his last win, a split decision over Keith Thurman in July 2019.
“For 24 years, I couldn’t imagine I’m still fighting in this arena. It’s a blessing from God,” Pacquiao said. “I’m thankful to be here to be kicking and fighting.”
Pacquiao insists his four-year break gave him the reset he needed to get back in the ring.
His footwork and hand speed are two of his strengths, but they were far from it when he lost to Ugas. Those have been his areas of focus throughout training camp.
Barrios (29-2-1, 18 KOs) has all the respect in the world for Pacquiao, who is 16 years his elder. What Pacquiao has done for the sport is admirable, Barrios said. But that goes out the window when they step inside the ring Saturday.
“It’s just part of the business,” said Barrios, who is 7 inches taller than Pacquiao at 6 feet. “Manny is a very likable person. I can’t think of anything bad to say about him, other than he’s facing me for my title. It’s all smiles right now. It has been this whole lead up. Come fight night, that smile isn’t going to be on his face anymore, and neither will mine. The best man is going to come out with his hand raised.”
Barrios, 30, is 3-0-1 in his last four fights. He drew against Abel Ramos via split decision his last time out Nov. 15 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Barrios, a San Antonio native, has the edge in height, age and reach. He’s welcomed the challenge of trying to replicate Pacquiao’s fighting style in the buildup to the fight.
“It wasn’t an easy style to copy during training camp,” Barrios said. “We tried to get as many southpaws as possible.”
Pacquiao wants to make his fans proud when they watch the fight. The former eight-division world champion enters as the underdog, a role he’s embracing as he tries to shock the world.
“That’s fine. There’s so many fights I’ve had as the underdog,” Pacquiao said. “Manny Pacquiao always brings surprises.”
Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.
