Manny Pacquiao is closing in on a return to boxing and hopes to fight two or three more times before hanging up his gloves once and for all.
The Filipino legend, who will be inducted into the hall of fame next month as boxing’s only eight-division champion, has an agreement to challenge Mario Barrios for the WBC welterweight title in Las Vegas on July 19.
It is understood terms were agreed following face-to-face talks between Pacquiao, representatives of Barrios and promoters Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) in the Philippines last week.
WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman gave the bout his blessing while attending the Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez-William Scull event in Saudi Arabia at the weekend, describing it as a “great fight”.
The T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas has been lined up as a venue, but Pacquiao wants to wait until after the coming elections in his homeland before making a final decision and announcing his plans.
The 46-year-old, who has not fought since defeat to Yordenis Ugas in August 2021, is in a tight race for a seat in the Senate of the Philippines, with voters going to the polls on May 12.
“Manny feels good and that he still has it in him to compete at that level. He feels he can still fight two or three more times, this year, next year and maybe even into 2027,” a source close to Pacquiao told The National.
It is understood Pacquiao is already in training and is not fazed by the short turnaround between the elections and a potential July 19 bout.
He insists he needs only a 30-day camp and sparring to be ready and would travel to the US and reunite with long-time trainer Freddie Roach at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles.
A bout against Barrios has been discussed for some time and Pacquiao had been keen to bring it to the UAE.
He considers Dubai his second home, possesses a golden visa and held talks with Abu Dhabi Sports Council about staging the Barrios fight in the UAE capital.
Last November, he put on a show for thousands of fans at Global Village before returning to take in the New Year celebrations at Burj Khalifa. He has numerous business dealings in the UAE and plans to open both a boxing museum and academy in Dubai.
“We are working right now, probably after this week we can finalise everything for the fight here in Abu Dhabi,” Pacquiao told The National, in January.
“We are still negotiating. We were planning to fight in the United States in July, but why not here? Bring [Barrios] here. It's going to be the third week of July in Abu Dhabi for a world championship. We have had talks with his promoter.”
As Pacquiao revealed then, the fight is indeed slated for the third week of July, but the venue will be in Las Vegas with the PBC eager to stage the event stateside.
Should he return to the ring for the first time since 2021 then it would take his record-breaking career into a 30th year having debuted, aged 16, back in 1995.
Pacquiao is the holder of several world records, including being the only boxer to lift a world title in four different decades. He previously served as a senator of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022.
