Boxing

Manny Pacquiao Pinpoints The Advantage He Has Over Mario Barrios

Manny Pacquiao didn't mince words when discussing his advantages over Mario Barrios.
Grant Young|
Jul 19, 2019; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Manny Pacquiao weighs in for his WBA welterweight world title boxing fight against Keith Thurman (not pictured) at MGM Grand Garden Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images
Jul 19, 2019; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Manny Pacquiao weighs in for his WBA welterweight world title boxing fight against Keith Thurman (not pictured) at MGM Grand Garden Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

In 48 days, 46-year-old Manny Pacquiao will step into the ring for a professional fight for the first time since 2021, when he lost a unanimous decision to Yordenis Ugas. This will be to fight 30-year-old Mario Barrios for the WBC welterweight belt in Las Vegas, Nevada.

While there is a lot of skepticism about whether Pacquiao should be fighting at all, given his age, most agree that Pacquiao could have picked a more dangerous opponent than Barrios. While he is a reigning champion of a prestigious belt, the general sentiment is that Barrios is a relatively beatable champion.

And while Barrios does have 18 KOs on his professional fight record (which is 29-2-1 and includes losses to Gervonta Davis and Keith Thurman), there does seem to be some holes in his game that Pacquiao (who will be the smaller boxer come fight night) could exploit if he's able to re-find a former version of himself.

Many believe that Pacquiao's best shot at beating Barrios is with a knockout, as punching power is typically the last thing to leave an aging boxer. However, Pacquiao believes he has another advantage over his adversary, which he revealed when speaking with the media.

"I think I'm faster than him. Definitely," Pacquiao said when asked whether he thinks he's perfectly suited to face Barrios, per a YouTube video from FightHype. "My movement, my speed is still there. Nothing goes, movement and speed. I can also still develop it... I still have that."

Pacquiao was known for his blistering speed during his prime, which was a huge reason he amassed 62 professional wins, 39 KOs, 12 world titles, and became the only eight-division world champion in the history of boxing.

Fans will have to wait until July 19 to see whether Pacquiao truly has a speed advantage over Barrios; and if he does, whether he can turn that into a victory.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young is a Staff Writer for On SI’s Boxing, New York Mets, Indiana Fever, and Women’s Fastbreak sites. Before joining SI in 2024, he wrote for various boxing and sports verticals such as FanBuzz and NY Fights. Young has a bachelor’s degree in marketing and a master’s degree in creative writing with an emphasis on sports nonfiction from the University of San Francisco, where he played five seasons of Division 1 baseball. He fought Muay Thai professionally in Thailand in 2023, loves a good essay, and is driven crazy trying to handle a pitpull puppy named Aura. Young lives in San Diego and was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area.