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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Boxing devider Pacquiao-Barrios fight primed to be a banger

Pacquiao-Barrios fight primed to be a banger

Published Jun 1, 2025 08:25 am  |  Updated Jun 1, 2025 02:20 pm

At A Glance

  • Manny Pacquiao came in and wore his signature smile, simply unbothered by the huge odds in front of him against a much taller and way younger Mario Barrios, as well as the dangers of him getting back into the ring which has been both merciless and punishing at 46 years old.
Manny Pacquiao came in and wore his signature smile, simply unbothered by the huge odds in front of him against a much taller and way younger Mario Barrios, as well as the dangers of him getting back into the ring which has been both merciless and punishing at 46 years old.
But that has long been the case all throughout his career and, perhaps, the very same reason why he just can’t fully turn his back on the sport he truly loves.
For the first time since the announcement of their fight made headlines, Pacquiao and Barrios finally got the chance to size up against each other on Sunday, June 1, during the kickoff press conference of their two-city promotional tour in Las Vegas.
Pacquiao, who is coming out of retirement four years after his last fight, vowed to pull off the surprises against Barrios in their World Boxing Council (WBC) welterweight title fight on July 19.
“It means a lot to me (challenging Barrios),” said Pacquiao, who sports a 62-8-2 record with 39 knockouts.
“The inner me, Manny Pacquiao. I always bring surprises to the fans. That’s my passion. It’s really important for the people to be happy after the fight,” he added.
Barrios, though, in his first public appearance since the fight was first announced, has nothing but good words for the legend ahead of what he considers as the biggest fight yet in his career.
“It’s a great honor. For a legend like him to come back and contend for my title. This is probably my biggest fight at hand and I'm just excited,” said Barrios who boasts a 29-2-1 record with 18 KOs.
“I’m expecting nothing less but an exciting fight. I'm getting ready and prepared for a prime Pacquiao so I'm stoked for this opportunity. I’m stoked to give the boxing fans and the world of sports a very entertaining fight. I'm just going to continue to show why iIm the champion,” added the American champion who stands at six-feet tall as compared to Pacquiao’s 5-foot-5 frame.
Pacquiao is eyeing to make history as the oldest welterweight champion – a feat that he himself owned when he won the title against Keith Thurman at the age of 40. He, however, has not fought professionally since dropping a unanimous decision loss to Yordenis Ugas in 2021.
Barrios, for his part, is coming off a draw against Abel Ramos, ending his three-fight win streak which included a unanimous decision win over Ugas.
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