Both Manny Pacquiao and Ricky Hatton are making unlikely comebacks to boxing this year, though at very different levels.
Pacquiao is 46 years old and a veteran of 72 fights, 62 of which he has won. The last time he fought was back in 2021 and saw him lose a decision to Yordenis Ugas, but he has long aimed to get back to the ring.
First, he made a failed attempt to fight at the Paris Olympics in 2024, but now he has secured a world title shot against WBC Welterweight Champion Mario Barrios on July 19 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Pacquiao and the then IBO light welterweight champion Hatton fought back in 2009 in Las Vegas. Pacquiao was the huge betting favourite and so it proved, with him stopping ‘The Hitman’ inside two rounds having also put him down twice in the first. That win made him one of only two men to have won world titles in six different weight classes, and he eventually went on to win them in two more.
Hatton had just one more fight after that, last competing professionally in 2012 when he lost to Vyacheslav Senchenko, although he has since had an exhibition with Marco Antonio Barrera.
Hatton is set to return to Dubai later this year when he takes on fellow 46-year-old Eisa Al Dah on December 2, which he has explained is for his own fitness and mental wellbeing goals.
Speaking to Covers, ‘Pac Man’ has expressed his support for Hatton’s comeback.
“It’s good for Ricky Hatton [that he’s making a comeback] because when I saw him he gained a lot of weight. He gained a lot.”
Hatton’s own fight is a far cry from Pacquiao’s world title tilt, though he will have a keen eye on his old foe next week in Las Vegas to see how he fares.
