Boxer Manny Pacquiao is coming out of retirement for title fight

Manny Pacquiao is coming out of retirement at the ripe old age of 46.

Pacquiao is set to fight Mario Barrios for the WBC Welterweight Championship on July 19 in Las Vegas, ESPN reported on Thursday. The report confirms what had been mentioned during the Canelo Alvarez-William Scull fight in Saudi Arabia last week. 

Pacquiao has not fought since 2021, but there has been noise since last year that he might fight Barrios.

The Filipino fighter officially retired in September 2021. But a year later, he took part in an exhibition match against a kickboxer.

Even during his boxing career, Pacquiao has had a political career in the Philippines. He was a member of the country’s House of Representatives from 2012-16 and a member of the Senate from 2016-22. He also ran for president in 2022.

Pacquiao is in the middle of another senatorial campaign in the Philippines. He reportedly will not officially announce his boxing comeback until after the election on Monday.

Pacquiao is 62-8-2 in his professional boxing career. He lost to Yordenis Ugas in 2021 via unanimous decision. He had won three fights in a row prior to that. 

Pacquiao has won world championships in eight different divisions during his career, which is more than any fighter in history.