Manny Pacquiao: Expect a Good Fight and More Action, Manny’s Back

He’s back!

Hall of Famer, eight division world champion and Filipino icon Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao (62-8-2, 39 KO’s) returns to the ring as he takes on WBC welterweight champion Mario “El Azteca” Barrios (29-2-1, 18 KO’s) of San Antonio, Texas on Saturday, July 19 in headlining the PBC on Prime Video PPV at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

“I’m excited and happy to be back,” Pacquiao told Fightnews.com

Pacquiao will be inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame this weekend in Canastota, New York. 

Celebrating and honoring an illustrious career that saw him win his first world title back in 1998, Pacquiao captured the WBC flyweight title and three years later won the IBF super bantamweight title by knocking out Lehlo Ledwaba in his U.S debut in Las Vegas. Two years later, Pacquiao made his big splash by stopping and defeating Mexican legend Marco Antonio Barrera. Pacquiao would go on to have rivalries and victories over Mexico’s Erik Morales and Juan Manuel Marquez.

“Barrera, Morales, Marquez, De la Hoya, Cotto, and Margarito, I have to say have been the best fighters I’ve faced,” Pacquiao said.  

The list of victories also includes wins over world champions Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Antonio Margarito, Shane Mosley, Miguel Cotto, and Timothy Bradley Jr. Collecting world titles at featherweight, super featherweight, lightweight, super lightweight, welterweight, and super welterweight in the process.

“The Barrera fight was the best win for me because nobody knew me before that fight,” Pacquiao explained.

In 2015, Pacquiao faced Floyd Mayweather Jr. in what was the most anticipated matchup in boxing. Dropping a unanimous decision to Mayweather in boxing’s highest pay per view revenue which generated 4.6 million buys. The fight, however, did not live up to its expectations. 

“Floyd Mayweather was running the whole 12 rounds and won that fight. How’s that? Pacquiao said. “I felt sorry for the fans the fight was boring that was not the fans expectations,” Pacquiao added. 

Last time we saw Pacquiao in the ring was in August of 2021, as the legend dropped a unanimous decision to Yordanis Ugas and officially announced his retirement shortly after at the post-fight press conference.

“The last fight I had with Ugas, I really wasn’t 100 percent focused on that fight. Paradigm (legal dispute with Paradigm Sports Management) had distracted me so much in that fight and I they did so much in that camp for that fight,” 

After a nearly four-year hiatus, Pac is back as he arrived in Los Angeles a few weeks ago and reunited with his long-time trainer Freddie Roach as the duo is back on the grind at the Wild Card Boxing Gym in Hollywood, California.

“The four-year layoff from boxing is good for my body. I have been boxing since I was 12 years old non-stop. It’s good for me to rest my body for four years,” Pacquiao explained. “I feel the same, I feel the hunger in training. The intense training and discipline are still the same,” Pacquiao added.

Daily routine jogs at Griffith Park continue to be part of Pacquiao’s camp conditioning regiment as he is joined by his stable and team. 

“I feel so excited like I did before in training camp,” Pacquiao added. 

Joining the former world champion in this camp for the first time is his son, Emmanuel Pacquiao Jr., as Junior is slated to make his professional debut on his father’s undercard July 19. With the presence of his son serving as inspiration as Pacquiao gears up for Barrios.’

“I’m happy to have him with me in the gym. He’s working hard and learning every day. We will be ready on July 19,” Pacquiao on training camp with Manny Jr. 

Barrios, only two defeats came against formidable world class opposition, current lightweight champion Gervonta Davis as he was stopped late in the eleventh round back in 2021 and dropped a unanimous decision to former world champion Keith Thurman. Since the back-to-back defeats, Barrios has won three straight fights and won the WBC interim title by defeating Yordanis Ugas. Barrios is coming off a split decision draw to Abel Ramos this past November.

 “Barrios just happened to be a champion at 147 that is why I chose him,” Pacquiao said about Barrios. “Barrios is the kind of fighter who gives people good fights. Me and him together in the ring will satisfy the fans and that’s what I want,”

Standing 6 feet tall, Barrios towers over Pacquiao but that is no concern for Pacquiao as this won’t be the first time he’s fighting a taller fighter. Oscar De la Hoya and Antonio Margarito towered over Pacquiao as he retired Oscar and broke Margarito’s right orbital bone in his victory. 

“I fought much bigger fighters before De La Hoya and Margarito were also taller,” Pacquiao explained as he smirked away. 

If all goes well against Barrios, there is talk of the possibility to match up Pacquiao against undefeated lightweight champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis later down the line. 

“I like that fight but I have to focus on this fight first,” Pacquiao said. 

Surrounded by media Tuesday afternoon at the press conference, Pacquiao was adamant on his next task and focused on Barrios but never dismissed the notion of a showdown with Tank. 

“Right now, it’s one fight at a time, lets focus on Barrios,”

It all depends on Manny’s performance this summer. 

“Expect a good fight and more action, Manny’s back,” Pacquiao concluded.

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