A 45-year-old Philippines boxer legend, Manny Pacquiao, announced on Monday that he is in talks for a comeback fight against American Mario Barrios, potentially for the WBC welterweight world title.
However, he cautioned that the fight was still “far away” and that negotiations are ongoing.
Pacquiao, a multiple world champion who retired from boxing in 2021, has signed up for a three-round exhibition bout against Japanese mixed martial artist Chihiro Suzuki next month in Saitama, north of Tokyo.
Despite this, Pacquiao emphasized that the potential fight against Barrios would not be an exhibition but a real fight.
“We’re still in negotiations and we’re talking about that. The fight has not materialized yet,” Pacquiao said in Tokyo.
“That negotiation is ongoing. It’s going to be by December — November or December. There’s still a lot of things to discuss and talk about.”
Pacquiao’s comeback plans come after his failed bid to fight at the Paris Olympics, as the International Olympic Committee rejected his special request to participate due to the age limit of 40 for Olympic boxers.
Pacquiao retired from professional boxing after losing to Cuban Yordenis Ugas in Las Vegas and subsequently ran for the presidency of the Philippines, losing the election by a large margin in May 2022.
Despite his retirement, Pacquiao returned to the ring for an exhibition in Seoul in December 2022 against a South Korean YouTuber.
His upcoming bout against Suzuki on July 28 is set to be a 68kg boxing match of three rounds at three minutes each, with no judges’ decision.
Pacquiao expressed his intent to win the fight by knockout, stating, “We are looking for a knock-out for this fight. There’s going to be a lot of action in the ring and of course I’ll do my best to win by knockout.”
