We’ve been teased about this fight taking place for a while now, if teased is the right word. Now, as per a statement from WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman, Manny Pacquiao will indeed fight reigning WBC welterweight champ Mario Barrios, this in July.
“At this time, Mario Barrios is going to fight Manny Pacquiao in July,” the WBC president said to Boxing King Media. “That’s a tremendous fight. Manny Pacquiao’s first [world] title was at flyweight – with the WBC – and [now] he wants to retire as the WBC champion, so he’s fighting in the welterweight division.”
So, although we still wait for an exact date, as well as a venue, it seems this fight will finally happen. But is this good news? Pac-Man is now aged 46, and he hasn’t looked great in the ring in quite a long time, not even in exhibition bouts. You have to go back to Pacquiao’s big win over Keith Thurman to find his last elite showing in the ring.
As for Barrios, he is coming off a tough draw with Abel Ramos, this in November. That one was a great action fight, but the way Barrios was made to struggle did nothing to elevate his reputation among the fans. Pacquiao will be the underdog in this fight (that is, unless tons of cash gets placed on Manny, his millions of fans choosing to ignore the impact Father Time always has on boxers), but he will be a live dog.
It seems there is a good chance the July fight (July shaping up as quite a month: Usyk-Dubois II, Bam Rodriguez-Cafu, and now Pacquiao-Barrios) will be a hit on TV, and maybe at the live gate. But can Pacquiao make history, this by breaking his own record as the oldest welterweight champion in all of boxing?
Manny, after all he’s accomplished in the sport of boxing, is going to roll the dice one more time. One last time.
Pacquiao is currently 62-8-2(39), while 29 year old Barrios is currently 29-2-1(18).
