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Oscar De La Hoya Gets Optimistic About Manny Pacquiao Return Fight

Originally posted on KO on SI | By Grant Young | Last updated May 22, 2025 6:40 PM ET

Manny Pacquiao will officially be going toe to toe with reigning WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios on July 19 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.

This means that the 46-year-old will have gone 1,428 days between his last professional fight against Yordenis Ugas in 2021 and this upcoming match against Barrios. It will also have been 2,221 days since his last victory in a professional bout.

There's a lot of concern about Pacquiao coming out of retirement, given his advanced age and how dangerous a boxer Mario Barrios is. And one of Pacquiao's opponents, the legendary Oscar De La Hoya (the two fought on December 6, 2008, with Pacquiao winning by technical knockout), has conveyed his own concern about Pacquiao's return to the ring.

Manny Pacquiao at 46 faster than any 26 year old in the world pic.twitter.com/O48p9cTZd8
— Elie Seckbach (@Seckbach) May 21, 2025

“I wish him all the best," De La Hoya said, per a May 12 interview with Seconds Out. "Obviously the truth is the truth, he’s obviously not the same Pacquiao that fought me, that fought the greats. I wish him the best, be careful up there, he’s not young like he used to be. But I’m sure he still has that power, so anything can happen.

"But yeah, just be careful," he added.

However, De La Hoya switched his stance up some during the most recent time he was asked about Pacquiao's return, which came during a May 21 interview with FightHub TV.

"I wish him all the best," De La Hoya initially said. When he was then asked whether he believes Pacquiao can pull off a victory, he added, "Can he do it? Absolutely. Manny Pacquiao is a legend. I think he can do it, absolutely. I mean, it's not gonna be easy. But I think he can do it. Yeah."

Perhaps Pacquiao's fan base can take solace in this optimism shown by De La Hoya if they're also worried about how "Pac-Man" will fare against Barrios in July.

This article first appeared on KO on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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