By: Sean Crose
It’s good to be a legendary fighter. Manny Pacquiao, the long-lasting former eight division champion, has been ranked the quantity 5 welterweight on the earth by the World Boxing Council. The doubtless cause? That Pacquiao might be popping out of retirement to face present WBC welterweight titlist Mario Barrios July nineteenth in Las Vegas. Though there supposedly gained’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: “Keep in mind @SugarRayLeonard ? My father Jose Sulaiman and the WBC had been criticized for making his struggle vs Hagler @MannyPacquiao has been licensed by Nevada and handed all medicals and as legendary WBC champion has been permitted to struggle by our group Let’s discuss July 20.” If this struggle does certainly occur, anticipate all of the stops to be pulled out. Regardless that Pacquiao is presently 46 years of age and his final struggle was a unanimous choice defeat on the gloved fists of Yordenis Ugas again in late summer season 2021, his identify nonetheless brings in consideration and {dollars}.
And why wouldn’t it? Not solely was Pacquiao probably the most well-known and standard athletes on the earth for near a decade, he was a rare fighter. An explosively aggressive pugilist with boundless vitality, Pacquiao had a hoop fashion 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 information. And despite the fact that he misplaced that struggle, Pacquiao continued to be probably the most standard figures within the sport. His 2019 victory of Keith Thurman was a late profession hallmark second.
The struggle with Thurman went down shut to 6 years in the past, nevertheless. 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 season? 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 will be counted out, it’s clever to keep away from scripting this man off specifically – irrespective of how near fifty he now’s.
Right here’s hoping nobody will get damage ought to this struggle really go down.
