Manny Pacquiao comes out of retirement to challenge Mario Barrios for the WBC Welterweight title, but does he have enough left to add another world title to his collection?
The eight-weight champion is stepping back into the ring for the first time since Pacquiao’s loss to Yordenis Ugas in 2021, at the ripe old age of 46.
He will challenge Barrios, the current world champion and a man who wasn’t born when Pacquiao made his boxing debut in 1995.
The fight pits an all-time great on his last legs against a champion in his prime, bringing an intriguing match-up that could see anything happen once the bell rings.
A win for Pacquiao could set up a rematch with Floyd Mayweather, while a loss could see the end of his career for good.
With that being said, the Bloody Knockout experts have given their predictions on who will win in the fight between Pacquiao and Barrios.
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Manny Pacquiao vs Mario Barrios predictions
Ross Markey: ‘Whilst everybody is hopeful of a fairytale return for Pacquiao in the ring against Barrios, I’m skeptical about his chances of winning WBC gold. Granted, he fought on short notice against Yordenis Ugas and spoiled Keith Thurman’s return in his last win, but I’m still torn on his chances. I’m hopeful of a win for the Filipino striker, however.’
PREDICTION: MANNY PACQUIAO TO WIN
James Sweetnam: At the peak of his powers, Manny Pacquiao was nothing short of terrifying, with the Filipino capable of destroying even the fiercest of competitors. However, he’s a long time removed from his brilliant best.
While the legend remained at a very high level after his knockout loss to Juan Manuel Marquez, he was never quite the same. In saying that, I’d still expect the Pacquiao who lost to Yordenis Ugas, to have had enough to beat Mario Barrios.
However, having not competed since 2021, he’s undeniably facing an uphill challenge. Ultimately, the American is a relatively weak champion, opening the door ever so slightly for ‘PacMan’ to pull off the upset.
Alas, I just think at 46, there’s little left in the tank, and with that said, I’m expecting Barrios to get the stoppage.
PREDICTION: MARIO BARRIOS TO WIN VIA STOPPAGE
Harvey Burton: I want Manny Pacquiao to win, but just think youth might triumph in this world title contest.
PREDICTION: MARIO BARRIOS TO WIN
Hamish Woodward: All good things must come to an end, and it looks like that is what will happen to Manny Pacquiao’s time at the top in boxing. The Filipino fighter has had one of the greatest careers of all time, but at 46, he is probably going one fight too far in search of greatness.
Mario Barrios is a younger, quicker, taller, heavier, and hungrier fighter. While Pacquiao has never worried about size difference before, the stats show he is much slower and less accurate than in years gone by, nullifying his ability to deal with the height discrepancy.
As much as I would love to see Pac-Man pull out a win here, I can’t look past Barrios stopping him before the end.
PREDICTION: MARIO BARRIOS TO WIN VIA STOPPAGE