Manny Pacquiao is less than one week away from making a sensational return to boxing.
The 46-year-old Filipino icon is set to do battle with WBC world welterweight champion Mario Barrios on Saturday July 19 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Pacquiao will put an end to four years of inactivity when he faces ‘El Azteca’ next week, with his last career outing coming against former WBA world welterweight champion Yordenis Ugas, who defeated the 46-year-old via unanimous decision in June 2021.
‘PacMan’ would go on to announce his retirement from the sport shortly after, although he did make brief returns to the ring in exhibition contests against Rukiya Anpo and DK Yoo in 2022 and 2024 respectively.
In an interview with Boxing Social, pound-for-pound star Terence Crawford shared his thoughts on Pacquiao’s shock comeback to the sport, as he backs the eight-division world champion to prevail against the younger champion.
“I got him winning, I got him winning. I just think the experience, you know, the power, is gonna take him to a victory.”
As Pacquiao prepares to lace the gloves up once again, the former pound-for-pound great could be on the verge of writing his name into the boxing history books once again.
Should the 46-year-old be victorious over Barrios on Saturday, he will become the oldest world welterweight champion of all time, a record that he actually broke himself back in 2019 when he defeated Keith Thurman to capture the WBA world welterweight title back in 2019 at 40-years-old.
