WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios says he’s going into the ring with bad intentions on Saturday night with the idea of knocking out Manny Pacquiao in Las Vegas.
Pacquiao (62-8-2, 39 KOs) is coming out of his four-year retirement with the idea of capturing Barrios’ WBC belt, and then looking for the biggest fights out there for him. That’s believed to be a rematch with Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Barrios’ Bad Intentions
“I’m going in there with bad intentions. I know I’m ready. I have to neutralize anything he tries to do. If that was his reason for taking the fight [big mistake],” said Mario Barrios to the media about Manny Pacquiao potentially getting his hopes up for a win after watching his last fight against Abel Ramos last November.
It sounds like it’s going to be a bad night at the office for Pacquiao. Barrios has taken it personally that the 46-year-old Manny selected him for his comeback. What’s obviously angered Mario more is that a lot of boxing fans are actually giving Pacquiao a chance of winning the fight. They think he’s an easy mark.
“I have confidence in my preparation. I know all the work that we’ve put in for this fight in training camp. Pacquiao has pulled a lot of surprises in his fights. You never know what you’re going to get out of him,” said Barrios.
Even the version of Barrios fans saw in his last fight against Ramos will likely be too much for the old warrior, Pacquiao.
Pacquiao’s Age a Factor
The Filipino star looked horrible in his last professional fight four years ago in 2021 against Yordenis Ugas, losing a 12-round decision. Pacquiao looked even worse in his three exhibition bouts he’s had since that fight.
Last year, Pacquiao got the stuffing beaten out of him by Rukiya Anpo, a Japanese kickboxer, who trashed him. It looked like elder abuse. So, unless Pacquiao has found a working time machine to bring back the 30-year-old version of himself, he’s heading toward a bad loss on Saturday night against Barrios.
The 2009 version of Pacquiao, who defeated Miguel Cotto and Ricky Hatton, would be a nightmare for Barrios. Unfortunately, Manny is nothing like that anymore. The years have not been kind to him, leaving him a vulnerable shell that Barrios will take advantage of.
