Pacquiao promises 'the old Manny' in July return

LAS VEGAS -- The last time Manny Pacquiao was in a boxing ring, he looked every bit of 42 years old as he was outpointed by Yordenis Ugas in 2021.

Now 46, he will return to the ring in search of history when he challenges Mario Barrios for the WBC welterweight title on July 19 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. It will be a tall task, but it's exactly why Pacquiao has decided to come back.

Should he win, Pacquiao would break two records. He'd become the first fighter inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame to win a world title as well as the oldest fighter to become welterweight champion, breaking the record he set when he defeated Keith Thurman for the WBA title at age 40.

"I like making history," Pacquiao (62-8-2, 39 KOs) told ESPN with a large smile following Saturday's news conference formally announcing his fight with Barrios. "It's nice."

For the past four years, between a failed presidential campaign in 2022 and a run as a senator in the Philippines, Pacquiao has considered making a comeback. But the time wasn't right. He competed in two exhibition fights in 2022 and 2024 but still didn't anticipate the urge to get back in the ring.

However, after placing 18th in the 2025 Philippine senatorial election, he decided to turn his attention back to the sport that made him a superstar. And when the opportunity to jump right back into a title fight presented itself, due to the WBC rule that a retired former champion can ask for a world title fight, all systems were a go for boxing's first and only eight-division world champion to make his return.

"I always stay in shape, but once I started seriously working out again, I realized that I still had that passion and ability in me," he said. "I went to my doctor and everything was perfect. My medicals came back great. I feel good, and I'm ready to do it again."

Pacquiao looked sluggish in the fight with Ugas. He lacked the explosiveness that made him a fan favorite and the footwork to throw punches from unique and unpredictable angles. But Pacquiao refused to chalk that up to old age. Instead, he said it was due to an error he made in training camp.

"I trained wrong for that fight," he said. "My legs began cramping, and I couldn't move. He was a very slow opponent, and I couldn't believe that I couldn't move my feet or my legs. But for this camp, I'm back with my longtime trainer, Freddie Roach. The old Manny will be back."

Should Pacquiao pull off the upset, he'll add to an already legendary career. But will that be enough for him to call it quits, or does he have more than one more fight left in him?

"It's hard to say right now," Pacquiao said. "It's one fight at a time. Once I get through this, we can talk about the next fight."