Eight division world champion Manny Pacquiao is just weeks away from making a sensational comeback to the sport.
Pacquiao walked away from the sport back in 2021, just months after he was comprehensively beaten by former WBA welterweight champion Yordenis Ugas, shifting his focus to his political career.
After announcing his shock return to the ring last month, the 46-year-old Filipino icon re-entered the WBC’s welterweight rankings at number five, which sparked controversy amongst the boxing community.
Speaking to Fight Hub TV, WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman admitted that giving ‘PacMan’ such a high ranking was actually a mistake, but explained their reasons behind the bold decision.
“The World Boxing Council regulations allow legendary boxers who receive a license from a boxing commission and who pass all their exams to compete for the title.
We made a mistake in ranking him number five, and that caused confusion among the media and fans, obviously saying, “Why is he ranked if he hasn’t fought?” What happened is that permission was granted, the fight was authorised, and we’ll talk again on July 20 to see how it went.
I think we’re going to remove him from the rankings with the clarification that he will fight based on the regulations.”
Should Pacquiao be victorious over Barrios, he will become the oldest world welterweight champion in the history of boxing, breaking the record he had actually set himself back in 2019 when he dethroned former WBA world welterweight champion Keith Thurman at 40-years-old, in what was the 46-year-old’s last victory as a professional.
Since exiting the professional ranks, Pacquiao has participated in two exhibition contests, facing DK Yoo and Rukiya Anpo in 2022 and 2024 respectively.
