Manny Pacquiao, Mario Barrios Discussing Welterweight Boxing Title Fight in Fall 2024

Mike Chiari@@mikechiariFeatured Columnist IVJune 8, 2024

Peerapon Boonyakiat/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Manny Pacquiao is looking to potentially compete in his first boxing match in three years this fall.

According to ESPN’s Mike Coppinger, MP Promotions President Sean Gibbons said he is exploring the possibility of setting up a title match between Pacquiao and WBC interim welterweight champion Mario Barrios.

Regarding the prospect of a clash with the 29-year-old Barrios, Pacquiao said: “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. … I want to go out making history.”

Pacquiao is widely regarded as one of the best pound-for-pound boxers of his era, as he won world titles in eight different weight classes over the course of his career.

He also beat many big-name fighters, including Érik Morales, Juan Manuel Márquez, Oscar De La Hoya, Miguel Cotto and Shane Mosley.

After starting his career 54-3-2, Pac-Man lost back-to-back fights to Timothy Bradley and Márquez in 2012, starting an 8-5 run over his final 13 fights.

His most notable loss was a unanimous-decision defeat at the hands of Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2015 in a fight that boxing fans had been begging to see for years.

After a controversial loss to Jeff Horn in 2017, Pacquiao reeled off three consecutive wins over notable boxers, beating Lucas Matthysse for the WBA (Regular) welterweight title in 2018, retaining it against Adrien Broner in 2019 and then beating Keith Thurman for the WBA (Super) welterweight title in 2019.

The split-decision win over Thurman was a shock since Thurman was a perfect 29-0 in his career before that bout.

In his most recent fight, Pacquiao dropped the WBA (Super) welterweight title to Yordenis Ugás in 2021.

Barrios began his career 26-0 before back-to-back losses to Gervonta Davis and Thurman in 2021 and 2022, but he has won three in a row since then, including beating Ugás for the WBC interim welterweight title last year.

He then beat Fabián Maidana by unanimous decision in May to retain the interim title, bringing his career record to 29-2.

It is fair to wonder if Pacquiao still has what it takes to compete with one of the best welterweight boxers in the world at the age of 45, but given that he was able to beat Thurman at 40, it can’t be completely discounted.