Manny Pacquiao is a matter of weeks away from making his return to boxing.
It will be Pacquiao’s first ring appearance as a professional since he was outpointed by former WBA welterweight champion Yordenis Ugas four years ago, although the Filipino icon returned to the ring in exhibition bouts against DK Yoo and Rukiya Anpo in 2022 and 2024 respectively.
In an interview with FOX Sports Australia, Pacquiao was asked to give his verdict on how he believes his showdown with Barrios will play out, where he accepts that he must be fully prepared to face a ‘taller fighter’.
“This is like the Margarito fight or the De La Hoya fight, he’s taller than me so I’m not going to take it easy, I have to train hard like what I did before, like the speed, power, stamina, everything like that, you know how I train,”
In a separate YouTube clip, ‘Pac-Man’ was asked about the considerable age difference between him and Barrios, which separates both fighters by 16 years.
“Don’t worry about it.”
Should he be victorious next month, Pacquiao will become the oldest world welterweight champion in boxing history, breaking the record that he actually set himself back in 2019 when he defeated Keith Thurman to become WBA welterweight champion at 40-years-old, in what was the most recent victory of his career.
