Pacquiao promises 'the old Manny' in July return

LAS VEGAS -- The past clip Manny Pacquiao was successful a boxing ring, helium looked each spot of 42 years aged arsenic helium was outpointed by Yordenis Ugas successful 2021.

Now 46, helium volition instrumentality to the ringing successful hunt of past erstwhile helium challenges Mario Barrios for the WBC welterweight rubric connected July 19 astatine the MGM Grand Garden Arena. It volition beryllium a gangly task, but it's precisely wherefore Pacquiao has decided to travel back.

Should Pacquiao win, helium would interruption 2 records: the archetypal combatant inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame to triumph a satellite rubric and the oldest combatant to go welterweight champion, breaking the grounds helium acceptable erstwhile helium defeated Keith Thurman for the WBA rubric astatine property 40.

"I similar making history," Pacquiao (62-8-2, 39 KOs) told ESPN with a ample grin pursuing Saturday's quality league formally announcing his combat with Barrios. "It's nice."

For the past 4 years, betwixt a failed statesmanlike run successful 2022 and a tally arsenic a legislator successful the Philippines, Pacquiao has considered making a comeback. But the clip wasn't right. He competed successful 2 accumulation fights successful 2022 and 2024 but inactive didn't expect the impulse to get backmost successful the ring.

However, aft placing 18th successful the 2025 Philippine Senatorial election, helium decided to crook his attraction backmost to the athletics that made him a superstar. And erstwhile the accidental to leap close backmost into a rubric combat presented itself, owed to the WBC rules that a retired erstwhile champion tin inquire for a satellite rubric fight, each systems were a spell for boxing's archetypal and lone eight-division satellite champion to marque his return.

"I ever enactment successful shape, but erstwhile I started earnestly moving retired again, I realized that I inactive had that passionateness and quality successful me," helium told ESPN. "I went to my doc and everything was perfect. My medicals came backmost great. I consciousness good, and I'm acceptable to bash it again."

Pacquiao looked sluggish successful the combat with Ugas. He lacked the explosiveness that made him a instrumentality favourite and the footwork to propulsion punches from unsocial and unpredictable angles. But Pacquiao refused to chalk that up to aged age. Instead, helium said it was owed to an mistake helium made successful grooming camp.

"I trained incorrect for that fight," helium told ESPN. "My legs began cramping, and I couldn't move. He was a precise dilatory opponent, and I couldn't judge that I couldn't determination my feet oregon my legs. But for this camp, I'm backmost with my longtime trainer, Freddie Roach. The aged Manny volition beryllium back."

Should Pacquiao propulsion disconnected the upset, he'll adhd to an already legendary career. But volition that beryllium capable for him to telephone it quits oregon does helium person much than 1 much combat near successful him?

"It's hard to accidental close now," Pacquiao said. "It's 1 combat astatine a time. Once I get done this, we tin speech astir the adjacent fight."