Making his debut in 1995, Manny Pacquiao has had a lengthy and legendary career as an eight division champion.
From Pacquiao knocking out Ricky Hatton, to his huge money fight with Floyd Mayweather, ‘Pac-Man’ has already ensured that he has a lasting legacy in the sport.
However, over 30 years after stepping into the ring as a professional for the first time, Pacquiao may add more history to his career. Reports have emerged that Pacquiao may challenge Mario Barrios for the vacant WBC World Welterweight title in July 2025.
It would be former ‘Fighter of the Year’ Pacquiao’s first fight in almost four years. The last time the fighter from the Philippines won via stoppage was in 2018.
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Manny Pacquiao stopped Lucas Matthysse in 2018 with uppercut
After Pacquiao was defeated by Jeff Horn in July 2017, he dropped his WBO World Welterweight title. The bout would end in a unanimous decision, as it was the seventh loss of Pacquiao’s career.
The former champion would return to boxing one year later, in July 2018. Fighting WBA World Welterweight champion Lucas Matthysse, the pair would meet in Malaysia.
Matthysse’s record was 39-4, and the Argentine was attempting his first-ever world title defense. However, he was bested by the veteran.
Despite being 39 at the time of the fight, Pacquiao had an extremely impressive performance.
After scoring knockdowns in rounds three and five, ‘Pac-Man’ would close the show in the seventh round. Thanks to an accurate uppercut on the Argentine, the champion went down and was unable to continue.
The loss was Matthysse’s fifth, as Pacquiao once again became welterweight champion.
Manny Pacquiao had an exhibition fight in 2024 against Rukiya Anpo
Although Pacquiao’s last professional fight came in 2021 in a loss to Yordenis Ugas, he has competed in combat sports since.
In July 2024, Pacquiao competed in a RIZIN special rules standing bout against Rukiya Anpo, a former kickboxer.
The former boxing champion was 45 in the exhibition bout, while Anpo was 28 years old.
There was no official winner declared in the bout, with the fight result being a draw. However, both fighters landed significant shots on one another.