Boxing

Teddy Atlas Reveals Final 'Bet' On Manny Pacquiao vs Mario Barrios

Teddy Atlas got brutally honest in the final hours before Manny Pacquiao fights Mario Barrios.
Grant Young|
IMAGO / Christian Schroedter

In May, boxing legend Teddy Atlas got brutally honest about his opinion of a 46-year-old Manny Pacquiao returning to the boxing ring after being retired for about four years to face Mario Barrios, which is taking place on July 19.

"I'm very concerned," Atlas said in an episode of The Fight with Teddy Atlas. "I don't want to stop anyone from making a living or making money. But I'm very concerned with a guy, a great man, who's helped his people, who's fought for his people, who's lifted his people up, who's given away money to his people, but he gave away money to his people that is in a position now that he has to fight at 46 and after 72 fights."

He later added, "I just think you're playing with fire. That's all I think. You could move around, navigate a little bit, say this, say that. But there comes a certain point with everything, that no matter how much you move the furniture around, you still know what room you're in. You can't fool yourself, and he's in a room where he's 46 years old with 72 fights."

Some members of the boxing community have warmed up to the idea of Pacquiao fighting on Saturday, if only because he has clearly taken this fight seriously. However, Atlas hasn't strayed far from his initial opinion, which was revealed on a July 17 episode of his show.

"I wouldn't be shocked to see [Pacquiao] do something that is very, very unlikely, at 47 years of age, then he could do this. But I would not bet that he's gonna do it. I would not bet that he's gonna do it," Atlas said of Pacquiao's chances.

MORE: Manny Pacquiao vs Mario Barrios Betting Odds, Prediction & How To Watch

"I just hope that the people around him are responsible enough. I'm gonna trust them... That they've seen him in camp, and they've seen something special."

Atlas, like everyone else, is hoping that Pacquiao leaves the ring uninjured.

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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.