WBC President Fires Back At Criticism Over Manny Pacquiao vs Mario Barrios

There has been no shortage of criticism surrounding the widely rumored bout between Manny Pacquiao and Mario Barrios on July 19 in Las Vegas for Barrios' WBC welterweight title.

WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman has been steadfast in defending his organization for sanctioning the bout despite Pacquiao (62-8-2, 39 KOs) being retired for four years and not winning a fight since he defeated Keith Thurman in 2019.

In response to a tweet from renowned boxing trainer David Coldwell, Sulaiman backed his decision by comparing the eight-division champion to International Boxing Hall of Famer Sugar Ray Leonard when he returned from a nearly three-year retirement to face Marvelous Marvin Hagler for his middleweight title in 1987.

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Leonard won that bout by split decision to become the WBC middleweight champion.

"Remember Sugar Ray Leonard?" Sulaiman wrote. "My father, Jose Sulaiman, and the WBC were criticized for making his fight vs Hagler. Manny Pacquiao has been licensed by Nevada and passed all medicals and as a legendary WBC champion, has been approved to fight by our organization. Let’s talk on July 20."

Remember @SugarRayLeonard ? My father Jose Sulaiman and the WBC were criticized for making his fight vs Hagler @MannyPacquiao has been licensed by Nevada and passed all medicals and as legendary WBC champion has been approved to fight by our organization
Let’s talk July 20 https://t.co/mDkdw7kQmk
— Mauricio Sulaiman (@wbcmoro) May 10, 2025

The WBC has ranked Pacquiao No. 5 in its welterweight rankings ahead of his potential return

There are significant differences between Leonard and Pacquiao's returns, though. Leonard had retired on numerous occasions but was much younger, coming out of retirement at 30 years old to face Hagler. Pacquiao would be 46 by the time he steps back into the ring and looked every bit of his age in his last fight, when he lost a unanimous decision to Yordenis Ugas (27-6, 12 KOs) in 2021.

Barrios (29-2-1, 18 KOs) fought Ugas in 2023, dropping him twice en route to a unanimous decision.

When Leonard came back for a final time in 1997 after being retired for six years, he was stopped in the fifth round by Hector Camacho. Leonard was 40 years old when he suffered the lone stoppage loss of his career.

Manny Pacquiao has re-entered the WBC welterweight rankings at number five amid reports that he’ll be challenging Mario Barrios for the WBC world title on July 19th. pic.twitter.com/ADbW0ISXiL
— Ring Magazine (@ringmagazine) May 13, 2025

Sulaiman has also backed sanctioning Pacquiao's return by citing rule 3.25 in its rules and regulations, which allows a former WBC champion of legendary standing to come back and immediately fight for a world title.

"A Champion Emeritus may request an immediate challenge to a WBC World Champion in his division without first boxing in an elimination contest, and if a mandatory challenger has previously been designated, the WBC may pursuant to Rule 3.8 order that the Champion Emeritus compete first for the title as an immediate mandatory challenger, but in any event, only upon the prior written approval of such status by the affirmative vote of the WBC Board of Governors, which may approve or deny such request in its sole discretion," the WBC writes.

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Fighters coming out of retirement to fight for a world title rarely end well. In the same breath, anything can happen in the squared circle, and if Pacquiao is going to come out of retirement to face one of the three champions at welterweight, Barrios gives him his best chance at making history and becoming the second-oldest champion in boxing history.

For now, though, Pacquiao's seemingly inevitable return more than warrants the skepticism and concern it has garnered.

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