By: Sean Crose
Everybody loves a comeback story – as long as the comeback is profitable. Sadly within the sport of boxing notable comebacks typically don’t finish properly (until your title is George Foreman or Ray Leonard). Manny Pacquiao intends to beat the chances, nevertheless, when he faces Mario Barrios tomorrow evening in Las Vegas for Barrio’s WBC welterweight title. Barrios is the plain favourite strolling into this one – and why wouldn’t he be? For starters the 29-2-1 defending champion is over 15 years youthful than Pacquiao. That’s 15 – as in a decade and a half. Barrios additionally has a 4-plus inch peak benefit.
That is Manny Pacquiao we’re discussing right here, nevertheless. Manny Pacquiao. The eight division world champion who buzzsawed by opponents with a ferocity that Roberto Duran and Arron Pryor would possibly discover intimidating. There’s additionally the truth that – for what it’s price – Pacquiao has seemed sharp in coaching camp. Watching him run up Griffith Park or grinding at Freddie Roach’s Wild Card Gymnasium brings again emotions of the Pacquiao of outdated. This isn’t the Pacquiao of outdated, nevertheless. That is the Pacquiao of 2025. With the intention to view Saturday’s combat realistically, one must recall Pacquiao’s final combat when Yordenis Ugas, one other (considerably) youthful, taller man held the legendary PacMan at bay for 12 rounds. What’s to say Pacquiao will look any higher 4 years later?
The reality is that nice fighters rise to the event and Pacquiao has been among the many best of a era. Nonetheless, it’s a fairly tall order to anticipate the person to drag off the win on this weekend’s pay per view occasion. These anticipating the Manny of the 2000s and even 2010s may be higher off watching a few of his best wins on YouTube. That fighter is gone eternally, irrespective of how good Pacquiao appears to be like within the gymnasium or whereas doing roadwork. The Corridor of Famer can have his moments Saturday – there might even be some flashes of the outdated days, when Pacquiao’s blinding quick combos and actions merely overwhelmed his opponents regularly. But can anybody anticipate Pacquiao to go at that tempo constantly as he heads in direction of 50 years of age?
The underside line is that this Pacquiao gained’t have the velocity and spectacular endurance he as soon as did. If he does certainly shock the world on Saturday, nevertheless, there gained’t be a happier fan to be discovered than yours actually. Once more, everybody loves a comeback story – as long as the comeback is profitable.
Barrios by unanimous resolution.
