Manny Pacquiao will return to the ring for possibly the final time against Mario Barrios on July 19th.
Pacquiao is making his ring return after six years since his last win, and four years since his last fight.
Now 46 years old, Pacquiao hopes to roll back the years to claim a 13th world title with a win over Barrios.
On the undercard, Tim Tszyu will rematch Sebastian Fundora after their first fight turned into a bloodbath, and Isaac Cruz will rematch Angel Fierro.
There is one more high-profile fight on the card, with two fighters who have everything to prove.
Manny Pacquiao card will feature Brandon Figueroa vs Joet Gonzalez
On the card, 25-2-1 Brandon Figueroa will face 27-4 Joet Gonzalez.
Figueroa is a former super-bantamweight champion and featherweight interim champion, with his only two losses coming at the hands of Stephen Fulton.
Fulton first beat Figueroa by a razor-close majority decision, before making it unanimous in his latest fight. Fulton’s only loss came as he was blitzed by Naoya Inoue.
Standing opposite Figueroa will be Joet Gonzalez, a fighter who has tried and failed three times at the featherweight titles.
Gonzalez’s first loss came in Shakur Stevenson‘s first title fight, and the stakes were heightened by the fact Shakur was dating Joet’s sister. Joet reportedly never liked Stevenson, and the family feud ran deep as the pair fought for the title.
Since then, Gonzalez has been unlucky, following a pattern of one win, one loss, for his last eight fights.
Manny Pacquiao went pro before his next foe was born
Pacquiao is hoping to beat more than just Barrios in July, he’s also hoping to beat time, as he is undoubtedly nearing the end of his 30-year-career.
Pacquiao made his pro debut in January, 1995, months before Barrios was born in May that year.
One month before Barrios turned three, Pacquiao claimed his first world title.
One month after Barrios had his sixth birthday, Pacquiao was a two-division world champion.