Why Is Manny Pacquiao Returning To Boxing When He Has Nothing Left To Achieve?
The return of Manny Pacquiao to professional boxing appears to be edging closer after several reports claimed the Filipino legend is on the verge of agreeing terms to fight WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios.
Pacquiao (62-8-2 39 KO) is one of the greatest and most important fighters in boxing history. Many of his achievements outweigh any fighter from any era and are too long to list in full. Among his historic feats, though, include being the first and only eight-weight world champion, the only fighter to hold world titles in four different decades, and at the age of 40, the oldest welterweight champion in history.
The Filipino’s legacy even extends beyond the belts and trophies. A cultural, and more recently political, icon in his native Philippines, Pac Man has done more for Asian boxing than arguably any figure in the sport. It was once claimed that crime rates in the Philippines declined drastically during Pacquiao fights, such was his God-like status in the nation.
His superstar status certainly translated into money in the bank, too; Pacquiao’s estimated net worth is north of $200 million, according to various websites, although it’s likely much more than that.
Pacquiao Completed Boxing
Perhaps more importantly, he managed to leave this most brutal of sports with his health intact – a luxury very few fighters are afforded, particularly those with more than 70 bouts, many of them against elite opposition in world title fights.
For all intents and purposes, Pacquiao completed boxing; he won titles, became wealthy, earned icon status, and still has his health. Additionally, since his last bout, and indeed while he was still an active fighter, Pac Man has lived a fulfilling professional life as a serving senator in the Philippines senate.
With all that in mind, it’s important to ask, at the age of 45 and after more than three years out of a professional ring, why is Pacquiao plotting his return? There will always be more history to be made and if Pacquiao was to beat Barrios in a potential fight, he would become the first five-time welterweight world champion while breaking his own record as the division’s oldest title holder.
Naturally, Pacquiao’s adviser Sean Gibbons insists the fighter is better, faster, and stronger than ever, although it suspiciously sounds like promoter talk. No one can honestly claim a Pac Man approaching his 46th birthday could beat the sensational version of 15 years ago.
“Manny is like a fine bottle of wine and getting better and better as he ages. He hasn’t lost his speed, power or passion,” Gibbons said. “He loves to fight. If I didn’t think he could fight at the highest level, I would advise him against it and to do something else.”
Pac Man The Tom Brady Of Boxing
However, the most recent evidence suggests otherwise. Pacquiao looked like an aging fighter in his most recent professional bout when, in August 2021, he was comfortably beaten by Yordenis Ugas – a solid fighter but someone who, in Pacquiao’s prime, he would have easily defeated.
He has since kept somewhat active with several exhibition bouts, but glorified sparring against kickboxers and internet personalities is hardly a sufficient replacement for the real thing.
Meanwhile, Pacquiao’s proposed return is drawing mixed reactions from rivals past and potentially future. Timothy Bradley Jr, who took advantage of some controversial scoring to defeat Pacquiao in 2012 and claim the WBO welterweight title, believes the Filipino may need to receive a hefty beating to finally realize it’s time to permanently hang up his gloves.
“Manny Pacquiao is a different animal. Tom Brady comes out of retirement all the time and does what he does. It’s Manny Pacquiao. Yes do you worry about him he’s facing a young guy at the best of his abilities right now. Barrios is a good boxer. Strong,” Bradley told Fight Hype.
Ennis Warns Pacquiao
“But it’s Manny. His C game, D game is a lot better than many guys’ A-game. If Manny’s coming back he believes he can win but it will be interesting to see. After last time seeing him inside the ring when he struggled against Ugas, I thought that was enough but sometimes guys gotta get their a** whooped to say OK, I’m done.”
Reigning IBF welterweight champion Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis appeared to criticize the possibility of Pacquiao earning an immediate world title shot and warned the Hall of Famer not to get in his way on the road to becoming undisputed at 147lbs.
“I don’t know how Pacquiao is coming back and getting a world title shot. But I really don’t care, as long as I can get my hands on all the other belts and be able to unify, then become undisputed,” Ennis told Fight Bub TV. “Then I really don’t care what’s going on. I think it’s crazy that he’s coming back. I mean, it’s a good name to have on your resume. As long as he isn’t in my way.”
Boxing history has unfortunately seen too many fighters on too many occasions fight one fight too many, the buzz of a major show proving too irresistible a pull. Only when he returns to the ring against Barrios will we learn if Pacquiao has fallen into this category. For the sake of his family and future, let’s hope that’s not the case.
