Vet Pacquiao, 46, still rolling back the years

Manny Pacquiao’s iconic career has reached a remarkable late peak despite being far beyond his prime.

Having only fought in exhibition matches since his 2021 loss to Yordenis Ugas, Pacquiao returned to the professional scene a month ago and surprised all his detractors.

When his comeback bout with Mario Barrios was announced, Pacquiao initially claimed a place on the World Boxing Council welterweight rankings, as No.5. Although that was short-lived as the sanctioning body didn’t rank him in June or July as he was subsequently removed after backlash.

Despite being a heavy underdog, Pacquiao earned a draw against Barrios and seemed unfortunate to not score victory, defying odds with a brilliant display. The WBC have since announced their updated August rankings and Pacquiao has now re-entered the list, replacing the previous No.1 Souleymane Cissokho in the top spot.

The 46-year-old Filipino now falls second only to the welterweight world champion Barrios, who successfully defended his title when the pair met. After a four-year hiatus, Pacquiao attempted to break the record that he had previously set when he beat Keith Thurman in 2019.

Pacquiao wants to become boxing’s oldest welterweight champion for a second time, but for now this remains a dream. While his effort in the ring was valiant, the bout was ruled as a majority decision draw despite many thinking that Pacquiao deserved victory.

What’s next for Pacquiao? As it stands an opponent is yet to be named, but plenty are vying for a bout with ‘Pac Man’. An immediate rematch with Barrios is the obvious way for Pacquiao to be in with a chance of renewing his own record.