Mario Barrios is understood to be defending his WBC World Welterweight title against Manny Pacquiao on July 19th, 2025.
Aged 46, Pacquiao would be older than George Foreman was when he defeated Michael Moorer should he claim the welterweight title.
However, Pacquiao has not competed in a professional fight since 2021 and has not won since 2019. Additionally, Pacquiao’s last stoppage victory occurred in 2018.
Barrios will go into the bout with a 29-2-1 record, having only been stopped once in his career.
Mario Barrios was stopped by Gervonta Davis in 2021
Aiming to defend his WBA World Super Lightweight title for the second time in June 2020, Barrios was paired up with star fighter Gervonta Davis.
A 26-year-old Davis went into the bout with a professional record of 24-0, with all but one of his wins coming by way of knockout. As for Barrios, he was the same age as the challenger, with a 26-0 record.
However, Barrios would not be able to survive the power of Davis. Despite having a good opening to the fight, Barrios would hit the canvas for the first time in round eight.
A lead overhand from Davis would catch the champion, who was sent backward to the canvas. Just moments after the restart, a left hand from the challenger would once again send Barrios down.
In round 11, a stinging body shot from Davis would land cleanly on Barrios. Although he was able to recover from the blow, Barrios would be waved off in the fight later in the round.
The loss was the first of Barrios’ career, who would also lose his next outing to Keith Thurman the following year.
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Mario Barrios goes into Manny Pacquiao fight off a draw
After being elevated to full champion in 2024, Barrios was the holder of the WBC World Welterweight title. For his first title defense, he faced Abel Ramos.
Despite retaining his championship status, Barrios was not able to get the win over Ramos on the undercard of Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson.
The champion was able to knock down the challenger in round two, however, Barrios would hit the canvas himself in the sixth round.
The judges scored the contest 116-110 in favor of Barrios, 114-112 for Ramos, and even at 113-113, meaning the official result was a split draw.