LAS VEGAS - Manny Pacquiao says he doesn’t want fans to worry about him as the 46-year-old prepares to challenge WBC welterweight titlist Mario Barrios at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Saturday. In fact, he insists that, despite his advancing years, the eight-division titlist’s team has had to hold him back in training to prevent him from overdoing it before fight night.
There were times during Wednesday’s final pre-fight press conference in which it almost felt as if Pacquiao, 62-8-2 (39 KOs), had never left. There was the familiar impish grin, the repeated promises to “make the fans happy,” the respectful acknowledgment by his opponent of his status in the sport.
But of course, he has been away. Press conference host Ray Flores reminded Pacquiao that Saturday would be his 16th time headlining at the venerable arena; the 15th was when he defeated Keith Thurman to win a welterweight belt at age 40. That was his most recent win, and it was six years ago. Since then, he has fought just once, losing to Yordenis Ugas in 2021.
“It’s been a while that I have not been boxing,” he acknowledged. “It’s been four years. But I’m still active in terms of exercise, training, things like that. The fans might be worried about my condition, but you know, that’s why I need to prove that I’m not that kind of fighter. I’m a fighter that can work hard, as I used to before when I was young. I’m pretty sure that this coming Saturday is going to be a lot of action, and the fans will be happy.
“And to Team Pacquiao, thank you for working hard, and thank you for stopping me all the time to cut short my training. I want to push, push more. But I understand that it’s not like when we’re young. You can work hard every day, but there’s a time that we need to give my body rest to recover.”
In fact, when Barrios, 29-2-1 (18 KOs), stated that he was planning for a toe-to-toe slugfest, the Filipino suggested he was looking forward to it.
“That’s why I’m here,” he said. “That’s why I’m still in boxing.” Indeed, he insisted the reason he specifically wanted to come back against Barrios was that he felt their two styles would mesh and that, of course, “we can both give a good fight for the fans.”
His absence from the ring since losing to Ugas has, he insisted, proven good for him so far.
“I’ve been enjoying training. My feeling is like when I was 26 years old,” he said. “I think it is because I left boxing for four years. That’s why I have the fire in my eyes and my heart to work hard, and to fight. My body was able to rest for four years, and now I’m excited.”
All that said, Pacquiao inevitably and understandably has his eyes on his legacy and how he will be remembered in the sport when he finally does hang up the gloves, this time permanently. And while he didn’t provide much insight into how exactly he plans to defeat his bigger, younger, fresher opponent on Saturday, he did expound at some length on what he would like that legacy to be. Unsurprisingly, Pacquiao being Pacquiao, that was focused, not on fights won or titles claimed, but on more high-minded considerations.
“In my boxing career, I always want to be an inspiration to all the young boxers, to all the people, to all the fans, not only in here in the United States, but all over the world: to be an Inspiration and a role model for them, and being a nice person,” he said. “Boxing is boxing. You know, when we get to the ring, we perform our job. We fight. And after that, nothing personal. We are all friends.
“Legacy is the most important thing, because we’re not forever in this world. We’re just passing by. So therefore, to have a good legacy that can inspire other generations, inspire other boxers. That’s my goal.”
Kieran Mulvaney has written, broadcast and podcast about boxing for HBO, Showtime, ESPN and Reuters, among other outlets. He presently co-hosts the “Fighter Health Podcast” with Dr. Margaret Goodman. He also writes regularly for National Geographic, has written several books on the Arctic and Antarctic, including most recently Arctic Passages: Ice, Exploration, and the Battle for Power at the Top of the World, and is at his happiest hanging out with wild polar bears. His website is www.kieranmulvaney.com.
