Manny Pacquiao hasn’t fought professionally since losing to Yordenis Ugas back in 2021, but he’s considering a return to the ring this fall as Mike Coppinger of ESPN reports that he’s being considered for a fall WBC world title fight with interim champion Mario Barrios.
“I made history at 40 beating Keith Thurman and I feel at 45, I have a lot left in the game as I haven’t taken a lot of punishment over the last few years,” Pacquiao told ESPN. “ … I want to go out making history.”
Pacquiao remains a living legend in the sport after tearing through more weight classes than one would think possible, but he’s clearly demonstrated that he’s far from the fighter he was at his peak. That said, even a diminished version of Pacquiao is still better than many and facing Barrios could provide him a more favorable path to winning another world title than other routes.
Barrios, 29, has won three straight fights since losing to Keith Thurman, and most recently beat Fabian Maidana to snag an interim WBC welterweight title in May.