If any fight fans are harbouring ideas that defending WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios may show his softer side and “carry” the great Manny Pacquiao when they fight in Las Vegas on July 19, the 30 year old has dismissed such a notion. We have over the years, really in too many fights to mention, seen a great, in his prime fighter, take things easy on a past his best former champ they admire so much (think Larry Holmes-Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Robinson-Henry Armstrong, for just two examples).
But we will not see Barrios’s name added to the list. Speaking again with The Ring, Barrios said that if the roles were reversed, 46 year old Pacquiao wouldn’t show him any sympathy or mercy.
“If the roles were reversed, Pacquiao wouldn’t try to take it easy on me,” Barrios said. “He’s not going to feel sorry for me in there. It’s just the reality of the sport. I am ready to defend my title by all means necessary. It’s kill or be killed in there. I have to go in there and make sure my hand is raised by any means necessary, whether it’s by knockout or by decision. He has age. I have to be ready for whatever he brings.”
Can Pacquiao Defy Age Again?
Barrios added that, as likeable as Manny really is, it’s tough to let it fully sink in how he will soon be going in there trying to take him out. But “bad intentions” are what Barrios assures us all he will carry into the ring with him, not Pac-Man himself.
The question is, will this fight prove to be competitive, or will it be yet another sad addition to the fights mentioned before, such as Holmes-Ali, where a long faded great had almost nothing left to offer? How much has Pacquiao got left? We really and truly do not know. We will soon find out, though. There are now just a mere 10 days to go until fight night.
Mario Barrios Targets Marquez-Style KO Against Pacquiao in Las Vegas Showdown
In what could prove to be bad news for Manny Pacquiao, defending champ Mario Barrios has let it be known that he is, in training camp, working on landing the “perfect punch” on Pac-Man’s head or jaw when the two collide in Las Vegas later this month. Barrios, who spoke with FightHype after a workout, said he is working on replicating the one-punch KO sensation Mexican legend Juan Manuel Marquez gave the boxing world in the fourth and final battle between himself and Pac-Man.
It was, as you will surely recall, a genuine shock seeing the great Pacquiao laid out, flat on his face, this as “Dinamita” Marquez had timed his rival’s rush forward to perfection, with Marquez landing THE punch of his entire career. For a few agonising moments, fans all around the world feared for Manny, this as he lay prostrate on the canvas. It was, needless to say, the KO of the Year in 2012.
Can Barrios Replicate Marquez’s Perfect Punch?
Now, can Barrios manage to pull off that kind of stunning KO? Barrios can punch, for sure, but he has never laid out an elite fighter before. But is Manny Pacquiao still an elite fighter? Barrios, 29-2-1(18) has not actually stopped any foe since back in February of 2023, this just the second stoppage win for him in his last eight fights. Barrios is practising on emulating Marquez’ awesome handiwork, and it would be THE greatest, most viewed highlight reel KO of the 30 year old’s career should he be able pull it off.
Of course, all the many millions of Pacquiao fans are hoping it will be their hero who does the KO business on July 19th in Las Vegas, not Barrios. Is this fight destined to end before the distance, one way or another? Maybe.
As for Pacquiao, 62-8-2(39) and his training for his challenge for the WBC welterweight title, some glowing reports have said that Manny looks like a million bucks, like a man who is 30, not 46 years of age. Maybe we will get a great fight on July 19
