MANNY Pacquiao’s ring comeback is now closer to reality after newly-crowned World Boxing Council welterweight champ Mario Barrios of the US agreed to stake his title against the Pinoy boxing legend, according to Barrios’ trainer, Bob Santos.
The rough agreement for the two to fight, Santos said, “is there now,” ring writer Andy Lawson quoted the 2022 Trainer of the Year as saying in a story posted on the worldboxingnews.net website yesterday (Wednesday in the US).
“It’s just a matter of what the exact number is going to be, who’s going to agree to what, and where the fight will be. It will [likely be] in the fall … October, November,” Santos said.
The Pacquiao-Barrios title clash became feasible when the WBC promoted Barrios, the interim title holder, to the regular championship belt after unanimous world welterweight king Terrence Crawford decided to go up the ranks.
“Once Mario was getting elevated, Pacquiao wanted to make history, and Barrios is the guy that he wants to fight for the WBC title,” Santos said.
“We’re all moving forward, no doubt about it,” he added. “It’s just a matter of putting together where the fight is gonna be and all the little details here and there. But Manny wants the fight, and Mario wants the fight.”
It will be the 45-year-old Pacquiao’s first fight in three years since losing his World Boxing Association super welterweight strap to underrated Cuban Yordenis Ugas, who pulled off a stunning decision victory over his fancied foe on Aug. 8, 2021, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The setback led to Pacquiao’s subsequent retirement, followed by his failed presidential bid in 2025.
He has been itching for a ring return ever since and remains bankable enough even in relatively old age for Barrios to take on the well-decorated Pinoy ring icon, who has a record of 68 wins, 39 by knockout, eight losses and two draws.
“It (the title match) is great because you have Manny with all his following, you know that, with all the Filipinos who support him like none other, and then boxing fans in general who think, ‘We want to see him maybe on his last go around,’” Santos said.
