Manny Pacquiao to fight Mario Barrios?

 

Manny Pacquiao has supposedly challenged Mario Barrios for his world championship title. After being away from the ring this long, I am doubtful Pacquiao would not have ring rust. Sometimes, being away from the ring for a couple of years makes sense, but not everyone can be like George Foreman here.

Manny Pacquiao is 45 years old. Like every true boxing fan, I do not want him to get old, but I realized I cannot make him younger. Mario Barrios is a tough man for anyone, including Pacquiao who's 16 years his senior.

I remember seeing Manny Pacquiao for the first time. He fought the late Lehlohonolo Ledwaba. I ended up not seeing the fight and for some reason, I went ahead and played basketball with some friends. I only learned he had won after I went home from the game. I even managed to score two 3-pointers. Never at that particular moment did I ever imagine it was to be the beginning of Manny Pacquiao's dominance.

Pacquiao is the only boxer to win world titles in eight weight divisions. It would be difficult to accomplish for anybody and may not ever be duplicated in our lifetimes. It was an incredible moment to see him make history.

How many 45-year-olds do you think have dominated the world of boxing lately? I can only think of two: Bernard Hopkins and George Foreman. Would Pacquiao follow in their footsteps?

Before a Mario Barrios fight can happen, he has to fight Rukiya Anpo, a former super lightweight K-1 champion and welterweight Grand Prix runner-up. Anpo was a substitute for Chihiro Suzuki, the Rizin MMA featherweight champion when Chihiro Suzuki came down with an injured hand. The fight against Anpo is scheduled for July 28th. 

Mario Barrios could be Manny Pacquiao's next opponent in the boxing ring. While the two camps are still in talk mode, there seems to be mutual respect for each other, which is a good sign in any deal. In the end, only Manny can dictate what his body can or cannot do. 

Whether he chooses to or not to fight, that is okay with me. He does not have to do anything to prove it. Perhaps he missed the spotlight. You know what they say? Once a fighter, always a fighter.