Manny Pacquiao is gearing up for a fight with Mario Barrios, and fans are hoping it doesn’t look similar to one of Pac-Man’s 2011 world title defenses.
Manny Pacquiao is 46 years old as he gets ready for his 73rd fight and vies for his 13th world title.
Pacquiao has had one fight in the last four years, and one win in the last six. He has also had just one KO in the last 16 years.
Between his 2009 fight with Miguel Cotto and Pac-Man’s 2018 match with Lucas Matthysse, Pacquiao failed to score a single knockout, though in one fight that may have been down to his opponent more than it was down to him.
Manny Pacquiao easily defeated an overly-cautious Shane Mosley
In 2011, off the back of his brutal decision win over Antonio Margarito, 52-3-2 Pacquiao faced 46-6-1 Shane Mosley.
Mosley had lost only to Floyd Mayweather, Miguel Cotto, Ronald Wright, and Vernon Forrest. He had beaten Margarito and, on two occasions, Oscar De La Hoya.
Pacquiao and Mosley both came out cautiously in the first couple rounds, but when Pacquiao ramped up the pressure, knocking Mosley down in the third round, the challenger appeared tense and defensive.
Mosley seemed unwilling to engage with Pacquiao, and had little interest in risking a knockout loss in a bid to secure a win.
After 12 rounds, Mosley appeared content to drop a decision loss, and was glad to have not been knocked out.
He said, according to BoxRec, after the fight, “He has exceptional power. I’ve never been hit like that before.”
ESPN‘s Brian Kenny commented on the fight, “Since Manny Pacquiao moved up in weight and took on Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito, we got used to war… It didn’t happen tonight.”
Manny Pacquiao shares an interesting accolade with George Foreman
With his 2019 win over Keith Thurman, who Pacquiao named his dog after, Pacquiao became the oldest welterweight world champion in boxing.
He also joined George Foreman as the only other boxer to win world titles 20 years apart.
Pacquiao, now 46, could break his own record as the oldest welterweight champion if he beats Barrios on 2025’s biggest night of boxing.
Also hoping to roll back the years is Ricky Hatton, who will return to the ring this December in Dubai.