By: Sean Crose
It’s good to be a legendary fighter. Manny Pacquiao, the enduring former eight division champion, has been ranked the quantity 5 welterweight on this planet by the World Boxing Council. The doubtless motive? That Pacquiao could be popping out of retirement to face present WBC welterweight titlist Mario Barrios July nineteenth in Las Vegas. Though there supposedly received’t be an official press convention till the twentieth of this month, Pacquiao’s talked about return was made extra doubtless not solely by the WBC’s ruling but in addition by the truth that Pacquiao just lately misplaced an election in his Philippian homeland.
WBC honcho Mauricio Sulaiman has said the next on social media: “Bear in mind @SugarRayLeonard ? My father Jose Sulaiman and the WBC had been criticized for making his battle vs Hagler @MannyPacquiao has been licensed by Nevada and handed all medicals and as legendary WBC champion has been accredited to battle by our group Let’s speak July 20.” If this battle does certainly occur, count on all of the stops to be pulled out. Regardless that Pacquiao is at the moment 46 years of age and his final battle was a unanimous resolution defeat on the gloved fists of Yordenis Ugas again in late summer time 2021, his identify nonetheless brings in consideration and {dollars}.
And why wouldn’t it? Not solely was Pacquiao one of the crucial well-known and fashionable athletes on this planet for near a decade, he was a unprecedented fighter. An explosively aggressive pugilist with boundless vitality, Pacquiao had a hoop type that thrilled boxing followers and even those that had been usually disinterested within the candy science. His 2015 superfight with Floyd Mayweather broke viewership and incomes data. And although he misplaced that battle, Pacquiao continued to be one of the crucial fashionable figures within the sport. His 2019 victory of Keith Thurman was a late profession hallmark second.
The battle with Thurman went down shut to 6 years in the past, nonetheless. Pacquiao was getting older then. How a lot older will he appear ought to he resolve to undergo with a bout with Barrios this summer time? Regardless that the expert Barrios isn’t thought-about to be among the many higher echelon of up to date fighters, he’ll nonetheless be a full sixteen years youthful than Pacquiao if the 2 males do certainly throw down. What’s extra, Barrios has solely misplaced to Gervonta Davis and Keith Thurman, two excessive stage fighters who had been a lot youthful once they confronted Barrios than Pacquiao may hope to be. Nonetheless, that is Pacquiao, we’re speaking about. In a sport the place nobody might be counted out, it’s smart to keep away from penning this man off particularly – regardless of how near fifty he now could be.
Right here’s hoping nobody will get damage ought to this battle really go down.
