Manny Pacquiao will return to the ring against Mario Barrios this summer, coming off an almost four-year-long lay-off to fight for a world title.
Manny Pacquiao lost his latest fight in 2021 to Yordenis Ugas and has not boxed since.
Now, at the age of 46, it has been declared that Pacquiao will return to the ring against Mario Barrios, who defeated Ugas, who beat Crawford as an amateur, in 2023 for the WBC interim welterweight title.
Pacquiao has fought just once in six years and has not won since he faced Keith Thurman in 2019. He has also got just one knockout victory in 16 years.
Manny Pacquiao’s only KO win in 16 years came against Lucas Matthysse in 2018
In his last 17 fights, Pacquiao has won 12, but just one has come via stoppage.
In 2008, Pacquiao had a dominant run of stoppages, finishing Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, and Miguel Cotto all within the distance. Since then, though, the knockouts dried up, and every win since has come by decision, that is except for one.
In 2018, nine years after his last knockout against Cotto, Pacquiao faced 39-4 Lucas Matthysse, the WBA Regular champion.
Pacquiao put on a dominant display, dropping Matthysse in rounds three, five, and seven. Pacquiao was up 59-53 on all three scorecards by the seventh round, but that didn’t stop him aiming for the KO.
Pacquiao, who almost faced Amir Khan, stopped Matthysse in the seventh, securing his first KO victory in nine years, and the last of his career to date.
The win set up Pacquiao’s fight with Adrien Broner, whom he beat by unanimous decision.
Manny Pacquiao’s next opponent was flattened by Gervonta Davis
Mario Barrios, Pacquiao’s next foe, has a record of 29-2-1, having fought to a draw in his most recent fight against Abel Ramos.
Barrios’ first loss came at the hands of Gervonta Davis, who dropped him three times before issuing a stunning knockout for the highlight reel in the penultimate round.
Barrios followed the loss with a fight against Keith Thurman, who defeated him by unanimous decision in what was Thurman’s last fight before coming back two months ago to KO Brock Jarvis.