Manny Pacquiao will step back into the ring after four years away from professional fighting, with some confused at why he’s getting a title shot.
Nobody could begrudge the boxing Hall of Famer for being given a chance to take on Mario Barrios for the WBC Welterweight Title, given his incredible career so far.
However, the eight-weight champion hasn’t had a professional fight in four years, and many thought that Manny Pacquiao had retired after a shock upset loss in his last bout.
However, the 46-year-old is back in the ring and gunning for gold, with a strange WBC rule earning Pacquiao his title shot on July 19.
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Manny Pacquiao earned a world title shot thanks to the ‘Legendary Champion Exemption’ rule
Pacquiao may be four years out of practice and was recently removed from the world rankings, but he’s still ready for a world title fight with Barrios.
A somewhat strange WBC rule allows “PacMan” to challenge for the WBC Welterweight title, due to his status as a legendary fighter and a former champion.
The WBC has a rule that many don’t know about, which is informally called the “Legendary Champion Exemption” rule.
This allows the board of governors to designate a fighter as a legendary champion, allowing them to challenge for a world title immediately upon returning to competition.
An iconic boxer like Pacquiao is able to jump to the top of the list to face the world champion thanks to his standing in the sport, rather than based on his current rankings or recent performance.
The rule, which is covered under the 3.3 Qualified Challengers rules, states:
“3.3 Qualified Challengers. Champions shall defend their titles, either in a voluntary or mandatory defense, against a challenger (each, a “Qualified Challenger”) in one of the following categories:
(a) any of the top ten (10) rated contenders; or
(b) with the approval of or ratification by a majority of the Board of Governors,
i. any boxer rated 11 to 15;
ii. a champion or a highly-rated boxer of another weight division;
iii. Another WBC champion, such as a WBC Diamond or Silver Champion, Champion Emeritus, or Champion in Recess;
iv. a former world champion or other elite challenger;
v. a champion of another boxing organization recognized by the WBC.”
This means that Pacquiao is able to jump the queue to challenge for the title because he is a former world champion and an elite challenger, not because he has earned the ranking with his recent fights.
Sugar Ray Leonard utilized a similar rule to Manny Pacquiao when he came out of retirement to beat Marvin Hagler
This isn’t the first time that this rule has been used to allow a returning champion to come back on top.
It is the same principle that allowed Sugar Ray Leonard to return from a three-year hiatus, following his victory against Kevin Howard in 1984.
The legendary fighter came back in 1987 to challenge Marvin Hagler for the WBC and The Ring Middleweight titles at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas.
The rule clearly worked back then, as Leonard put on a classic display to go all twelve rounds with the champion, winning the bout via split decision.
This will give Pacquiao confidence that he can do the same and earn his 13th world title with a win over Barrios on July 19.