Opening Manny Pacquiao vs Mario Barrios Betting Odds Say It All

Many believe Manny Pacquiao is fighting an uphill battle when he makes his return on July 19 to face WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas.

The opening betting odds reflect just how tough a task it may be for the eight-division champion to become the second-oldest champion in boxing history.

DraftKings released its opening odds for Pacquiao vs Barrios, and it has the soon-to-be Hall of Famer as a significant underdog at +340. Barrios is a -500 favorite heading into the second defense of his title.

I’m back.

On July 19, I return to the ring to face WBC Welterweight Champion Mario Barrios at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Let’s make history! #TeamPacquiao 🇵🇭 pic.twitter.com/KEscQEims0
— Manny Pacquiao (@MannyPacquiao) May 21, 2025

Pacquiao (62-8-2, 39 KOs), 46, hasn't fought since Aug. 21, 2021, when he lost a clear unanimous decision to Yordenis Ugas. In that fight, Pacquiao looked every bit his age at 42 years old and one month later, he announced his retirement.

Two years later, Barrios (29-2-1, 18 KOs), 30, faced Ugas (27-6, 12 KOs) and won in dominant fashion, dropping him twice en route to a unanimous decision victory that earned him the interim WBC welterweight title. In 2024, Barrios was elevated to full WBC titlist after Terence Crawford vacated the belt to move up to junior middleweight.

MORE: Sugar Ray Leonard Sends Terence Crawford Message On Beating Canelo Alvarez

In his lone title defense, he exchanged knockdowns with Abel Ramos and fought to a split draw on the undercard of Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul on Nov. 15.

Given the uncertainty surrounding Pacquiao after nearly four years out of the ring and how he looked in his last fight vs Ugas, it's well within reason for him to be a significant underdog. But if there was one champion for him to go after at welterweight, Barrios is likely his best bet compared to unified Ring Magazine, IBF and WBA champion Jaron "Boots" Ennis (34-0, 30 KOs) or WBO champion Brian Norman Jr. (27-0, 21 KOs).

At 45, he hopes to break his own boxing record set in 2019 — Manny Pacquiao hopes to get a shot at the World Welterweight title with a championship bout against Mario Barrios. | MANNY PACQUIAO FACEBOOK.

And as the old adage goes, the great fighters usually have one great performance left in them. Does Pacquiao still have that performance in him? Or was it used in his last win over Keith Thurman in 2019?

The opening betting odds show that Pacquiao might be taking a leap too far trying to add another historic feat to his already pristine resume when he faces Barrios.

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