Pacquiao’s Reported Return Is Bad For Boxing
Manny Pacquiao will reportedly come out of retirement to face WBC Welterweight Champion Mario Barrios on July 19.
This is a major announcement since Pacquiao will return to the sport at 46, having not fought professionally since 2021. He suffered a defeat against Yordenis Ugas, as he announced his retirement. Pacman left the sport as an eight-weight world champion. During his time out of boxing, Pacquiao has had some exhibitions, facing off against DK Yoo and Rukiya Anpo. The Anpo fight proved Pacquiao was no longer the same fighter, as he was outboxed during the three-round exhibition.
Pacquiao’s Return
Pacquiao has also been campaigning in the Philippines as he aims to secure a seat in the Senate, as he advances his political career. Naturally, there has been some backlash towards Manny making a comeback. It is questionable how Pacman can get a world title shot immediately after not boxing for four years. Jaron Ennis is the current Unified Welterweight Champion after having stopped Emmanuel Stanionis in his last fight to become the WBA, IBF and Ring Magazine Champion.
He has more of a claim to face off against Barrios to add another belt, as he attempts to become undisputed. There are also safety concerns about Pacquiao making a return. There are question marks over whether he should be sanctioned to get a license, since he has been out of the ring for so long. Mike Tyson, however, was given a license to box professionally when he faced off against Jake Paul, which drew a significant amount of criticism.
The fight also does nothing for Pacquiao’s legacy. He already holds the record for being the oldest welterweight champion when he defeated Keith Thurman in 2019 to claim the WBA Welterweight Belt at 40. It is also very difficult to see him unifying against Ennis, or the WBO Welterweight Champion Brian Norman Jr. Boxing fans had a strong reaction to his potential return.
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