A Manny Pacquiao vs Mario Barrios WBC welterweight title fight is being explored for this fall in Las Vegas at age 45, Manny Pacquiao Promotions president Sean Gibbons.
A Manny Pacquiao-Mario Barrios WBC welterweight title fight is being explored for this fall in Las Vegas, Manny Pacquiao Promotions president Sean Gibbons told @MikeCoppinger.
Pacquiao, 45, hasn't competed since an August 2021 decision loss to Yordenis Ugas. pic.twitter.com/3xlw83uS3F
— ESPN Ringside (@ESPNRingside) June 8, 2024
Boxing’s only eight-division champion, Pacquiao won his first title in 1998 as a 112-pounder at age 19. Pacquiao last title victory came against Thurman in July 2019 at 147 pounds. “I made history at 40 beating Keith Thurman and I feel at 45, I have a lot left in the game as I haven’t taken a lot of punishment over the last few years,” Pacquiao told ESPN. “I want to go out making history.”
Tune up
Before Pacquiao (62-8-2, 39 KOs) gets back in the ring he’ll have a tune up fight. Rizin Fighting Federation announced Sunday that Pacquiao will face its featherweight champion, Chihiro Suzuki, in a boxing exhibition on July 28 in Saitama, Japan. That fight will be contested at 150 pounds over three three-minute rounds as Pacquiao looks to stay sharp and hopes he will get title shot against Barrios later this year.
Barrios (29-2, 18 KOs) won the WBC interim welterweight title with a decision victory over Ugas in September. Terence Crawford was named champion in recess last month as he sets out to campaign at 154 pounds and it’s expected Barrios will be elevated to champion.
“I’m very excited at the possibility of this fight being made,” Barrios said. “Manny Pacquiao is a future Hall of Famer, a legend and someone I looked up to growing up. To share the ring with him would be an honor and a dream come true.”
Nevertheless this fight is very intriguing because you have the legend with some gas left in the tank. Against the younger fighter that’s still trying to build a legacy in the boxing game.
Welcome to Dice City Sports — where we provide premium, exclusive, up-to-date news and analysis surrounding the Las Vegas sports scene. Follow along on social media, and check back for new articles daily!
Robert LaMar is a writer for Dice City Sports. You can follow him on X via @RobertLaMar26
