Some retired fighters return to the ring for the money; others, for the glory.
For Manny Pacquiao, the biggest factor in his decision to end his retirement might very well have been loneliness.
"When I announced my retirement I was so lonely because boxing is my passion," Pacquiao told Covers in a wide-ranging interview. "I grew up in boxing, so it's hard for me to hang up the gloves and stop my passion."
Pacquiao (62-8-2), one of the greatest pound-for-pound boxers in the history of the sport, has reignited his legendary career in grand fashion. The 46-year-old Filipino mega-star faces Mario Barrios on July 19 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas for Barrios' WBC welterweight title – Pacquiao's first professional bout in nearly four years.
Returning from a 47-month absence and earning an immediate title shot is far from common – but then, Pacquiao is no ordinary fighter, having earned belts in eight different divisions during a professional career that spanned 26 years.
Key Takeaways
🥊 Pacquiao unconcerned by long layoff, eyes a chance to stop Barrios early
🥊 Pacquiao: Floyd Mayweather is "scared to death to fight (me) again"
🥊 Potential Conor McGregor bout still in limbo
🥊 Pacquiao on Hatton comeback: "It's good ... because when I saw him, he gained a lot of weight"
🥊 Pacquiao on Jake Paul's WBC ranking: "He can fight ... so why not?"
🥊 Pacquiao references Winston Churchill in addressing his doubters
Fired-up Pacquiao chose Barrios "because he's the champion"
Pacquiao, who told Covers that he has done up to 33 rounds of sparring at one time to prepare for his comeback, was blunt about why he opted to fight Barrios in his return bout.
"(I chose Barrios) because he's the champion," Pacquiao said. "It just so happened that he's the champion of 147 pounds (Pacquiao's preferred weight class), so I'm glad to challenge the world champion."
Pacquiao confessed: "I'm punishing myself to the limit" in preparing for his first pro tilt since August 2021, when he lost a 12-round unanimous decision to Yordenis Ugás; Pacquiao announced his retirement just over a month later.
"I have the passion to train, to work hard, I still have that," he told Covers. "I still have the fire in my eyes and in my heart. I still have that.
"That's why I'm so excited for this fight at the age of 46. I can still fight, and what I'm trying to prove is that even at the age of 46 I can still be a champion and that I can still fight."
Pacquiao hasn't exactly been loafing on the couch, either, earning a win and a draw in two exhibition matches since retiring from the professional ranks. But his next test will be considerably stiffer – and Pacquiao knows that better than anyone.
Barrios (29-2-1) has proven himself a worthy title holder, having held the belt since September 2023. He's coming off a 12-round split decision against Abel Ramos in one of the best fights on the Jake Paul-vs.-Mike Tyson undercard back in November 2024.
As expected, oddsmakers aren't giving Pacquiao much of a shot here, with FanDuel installing him as a +235 underdog (carrying an implied probability of 29.9%). Barrios is listed at -320, while the draw is set at +1,400.
"He's a fighter that you cannot underestimate and he has an advantage because he’s taller than me, although I'm used to fighting taller guys, Pacquiao said. "But I just want to make sure that I'm 100% conditioned ahead of the fight."
Pacquiao might be at a disadvantage, but that hasn't dented his confidence.
"People will see on the night of the fight (why I will win); my style and my movement," he said. "I don't know (if the fight will go the distance). But if I could have a chance to finish it early, then why not?"
Pacquiao happy for Hatton return: "He gained a lot of weight"
Pacquiao isn't the only renowned fighter from the early 2000s to make his return: One of his most famed opponents, British knuckle-chucker Ricky Hatton, announced Monday that he'll be ending his 13-year retirement against Eisa Al Dah in a Dec. 2 encounter in Dubai.
Hatton was the unfortunate foil in one of Pacquiao's most decisive victories, a brutal second-round knockout that earned the Filipino mega-star a place in boxing's history books.
Pacquiao and Hatton, then the IBO light welterweight champion, squared off May 2, 2009 in the "Battle of East and West" at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Pacquiao, installed as a -200 favorite despite being the challenger, knocked Hatton down twice in the first round and delivered the decisive blow via a crushing left hook at 2:59 of the second to join Oscar de la Hoya as the only boxers to win titles in six different weight classes.
Pacquiao would go on to extend his weight-class title tally to eight, while Hatton fought just once more professionally, suffering a ninth-round knockout at the hands of Vyacheslav Senchenko in November 2012 before calling it quits with a 45-3 career record.
It's good for Ricky Hatton (that he's making a comeback) because when I saw him he gained a lot of weight," Pacquiao told Covers. "He gained a lot."
Mayweather "scared to death to fight again"
Now that he's back in the ring, Pacquiao – as with most fighters – has a wish list of opponents. But fans clamoring for a rematch with Floyd Mayweather Jr. are almost certainly going to be left disappointed.
The two finally squared off in May 2015 following years of tense and ultimately fruitless negotiations, with Mayweather earning a dominant unanimous decision win in what was largely considered one of the most disappointing bouts of the 21st century.
Pacquiao, who had injured his shoulder training for the fight and re-injured it early in the bout, insists that Mayweather doesn't want a rematch.
"I don't think Floyd Mayweather will fight me again," Pacquiao told Covers. "He's scared to death to fight again, that’s what I’m thinking.
"It's a huge fight, but there's a lot of reasons or alibis he didn’t make (the rematch with me). Lots of excuses, I guess."
Legal, manager issues mar potential McGregor super-fight
The hurdles blocking another potential dream fight – Pacquiao taking on enigmatic fight icon Conor McGregor – are different, but no less daunting.
"I don’t know (if the Conor McGregor fight is dead," Pacquiao said. "We have a problem with his manager, they don't listen to me, like I told them the situation, that I've been in boxing for many, many years.
"I told him I'm a nice person, I'm fair like that, but they don't listen. They don't believe me."
There's also the issue of McGregor's legal matters, with the 36-year-old currently appealing the finding of assault in a civil rape case.
"I can’t tell you right now, because we still have the cases that they're appealing to the higher court, so it's hard to comment right now (on why the McGregor fight can’t be made)," Pacquiao told Covers.
Pacquiao supports Jake Paul's world ranking
With Jake Paul continuing to make the kind of headlines that divide the boxing community, you can put Pacquiao in the minority camp.
Paul (12-1) was shockingly slotted in at No. 14 in the WBA's latest cruiserweight rankings last week, a move that was met with "heavy criticism and outrage" from other fighters, reportedly leading to the WBA reconsidering the move.
Paul has gained notoriety for building a win streak on the backs of well-past-their-prime opponents like Mike Tyson and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. – but he has a fan in Pacquiao.
"I respect Jake Paul’s passion to pursue his boxing career, he has a talent," Pacquiao said. "He can fight, then, so why not (give him a world ranking)?"
Pacquiao channels Churchill in final salvo to the haters
Pacquiao knows what he's up against July 19 in Las Vegas. And he's saying all the right things, telling Covers that he's taking things "one fight at a time" while adding that "I don't want to plan for (my) future like that, I leave it to my God what's going to (happen) tomorrow."
But he has a message for anyone suggesting that he's too small, too old or too rusty to give Barrios a challenge in Las Vegas.
"The critics are always there," he said. "Even at the beginning of my career, there were a lot of critics. That's why I did not have a chance to participate in the Olympics, because of critics and underestimating me.
"But I have always been inspired by the saying of Winston Churchill: 'You will never reach your destination if you stop and throw stones at every dog that barks.'"
