Manny Pacquiao is just weeks away from resuming his professional boxing career after a four year hiatus.
The 46-year-old from the Philippines clashes with reigning WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios on Saturday July 19 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
After an exceptional professional career which saw him win world titles in no less than eight weight divisions, the Filipino icon announced his retirement from the sport in 2021 to focus on his career as a politician.
Pacquiao’s last outing took place in June of 2021 as he fell short to former WBA welterweight champion Yordenis Ugas, with many fans expressing their disappointment at the Filipino icon’s performance on the night.
Speaking in an interview just moments after he was beaten by Ugas, Pacquiao expressed his thanks towards the fans that were in attendance that night, before going on to apologise to them for what was an underwhelming performance.
“I’m so thankful to the fans [for] coming here to witness the fight live, I’m really appreciative of your effort to come here even despite this pandemic you have time to watch the fight live, and I’m sorry that we lost tonight but you know, I did my best and I apologise.”
Although there are concerns that Pacquiao is taking a big risk ahead of his showdown with Barrios, the 46-year-old appears to be in great shape ahead of his return as he sets his sights on becoming the oldest world welterweight champion of all time, a record he actually set himself when he defeated Keith Thurman to capture the WBA title at the age of 40 in 2019.
