World Boxing News provides an exclusive update on a potential comeback for boxing legend Manny Pacquiao.
Worldboxingnews.com has reported several times that Pacquiao is in line for a WBC welterweight title shot. The current champion is Mario Barrios.
Serious negotiations were held last year, but were cut short. Pacquiao wanted to focus on his political career as a Philippines Senator.
The eight-weight superstar, who is now 46, hopes to gain re-election to the Senate next month.
If successful, Pacquiao’s position will serve as the springboard for a second attempt at becoming President.
The move follows his defeat in a previous run.
Polls will open in 2028 to elect a new President following the appointment of Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in 2022.
Marcos Jr. defeated Pacquiao in that voting process. Therefore, there is no guarantee that Pacquiao will be a frontrunner in three years, which would be an early knockdown for his chances.
Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte-Carpio, the daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte, is reportedly considered as a successor to Marcos.
Reports in the Philippines state that Duterte-Carpio holds a significant lead in a survey.
However, Pacquiao was not included in that process. Duterte-Carpio subsequently gained 36% of the votes. The poll was to find respondents’ preferred candidate.
As Pacquiao recently lost his bid to Marcos Jr., Duterte-Carpio is the obvious choice. She led in 2022 only to become the current President’s running mate.
Naturally, a second in command would be the favorite to succeed.
Pacquiao hopes to get back into the Senate before looking into a farewell boxing match. He could pursue Barrios or retire for good to focus on politics.
WBN received information from sources close to Pacquiao and Barrios that no world title fight is currently being discussed.
“That is the same discussion [about Pacquiao vs Barrios] we’ve been having for a year,” MP Promotions President Sean Gibbons told Worldboxingnews.com.
“Manny is presently in a very heated race for the Senate of the Philippines. That is all he is concentrating on, for pride and country,” added Gibbons.
Bob Santos, the trainer for Barrios, told WBN on Thursday, “Nothing has been said to me so far, and I’m the head coach.
“I don’t know where these people are getting this or why they’re saying this.”
World Boxing News can confirm that the Pacquiao vs. Barrios fight is on hold. That’s not to say it couldn’t happen towards the end of the year, but with a lot more ifs and buts than there were at the end of 2024.
The ‘Pac-Man’ has much bigger fish to fry as he aims to one day hold the top position in his home country.
Pacquiao’s curtain may have already come down on the final chapter written when losing to Yordenis Ugas in 2021.
The Ugas defeat came after Pacquiao had become the oldest fighter to win a welterweight championship. He defeated Keith Thurman via split decision in 2019 on Pay-Per-View.
A clash against Barrios in the United States this year would have given Pacquiao the chance to beat that record by six years. However, the fight went cold after Barrios drew with Abel Ramos in his last defense.
Pacquiao also didn’t look good in his comeback exhibition against RIZIN’s Rukiya Anpo.
Ambitions of one more fight hang in the balance. – If you use these
