Pacquiao 'hungry' for comeback after four-year layoff
The 46-year-old Filipino boxing icon faces World Boxing Council (WBC) champion Barrios in Las Vegas on July 19, four years after his last fight ended in defeat.
29 Jun 2025 12:01pm
Manny Pacquiao trains at Wild Card Boxing Club on June 25, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Melina Pizano/GETTY IMAGESvia AFP)
LOS ANGELES - Manny Pacquiao said that his lengthy layoff from boxing has reignited his passion for the sport as he prepares for next month's world welterweight title comeback against Mario Barrios.
The 46-year-old Filipino boxing icon faces World Boxing Council (WBC) champion Barrios in Las Vegas on July 19, four years after his last fight ended in defeat. Manny Pacquiao is interviewed by media at Wild Card Boxing Club on June 25, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Melina Pizano/GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)
Pacquiao has reunited with long-time veteran trainer Freddie Roach for next month's title tilt, and spoke to journalists on Wednesday as he worked out at the Hall of Famer's Wild Card gym in Hollywood.
"Four years rest has been good for me," Pacquiao said after showing off some impressive hand speed in an open pads session.
"I've been in boxing for so many decades, so it's good for my body to rest for four years.
"Now I'm back, I'm hungry to fight again. I'm hungry to fight in a big fight like this. To work hard, have discipline, everything like that."
"I've missed boxing. I feel like the passion, the fire in my eyes, working hard -- it's still there."
Pacquiao said while his recovery times were now slightly longer, he had not noticed any drop off in his physical conditioning.
"I'm fast, I can move like I did before. I can run in the mountains with the young boxers, so I'm happy," he said.
"I'm enjoying this training camp. There's a couple of adjustments for bodily recovery. We have to control the body, give my body time to rest and recover."
Pacquiao, who won 12 world titles in eight different weight classes during a glittering professional career that began in 1995, refused to be drawn on whether his comeback next month would be "one and done" or just the first step of a full-fledged return to the sport.
"It's hard to say," he said when asked about future bouts. "Now I'm back so one at a time, after this fight we can plan whatever we want."
For some in boxing, however, Pacquiao's return to the ring represents an unnecessary risk.
British promoter Eddie Hearn was the latest to cast doubt on the wisdom of the Filipino's comeback earlier this month, predicting that the 30-year-old Barrios will be "too young and too strong" for Pacquiao.
Pacquiao smiled on Wednesday when asked for his response to Hearn's remarks.
"Just watch on July 19th," he said. "It will be a good fight." - AFP
More Like This
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Tennis-Krejcikova relishing return as Wimbledon champion despite injury scare
FILE PHOTO: Tennis - Eastbourne Open - Devonshire Park Lawn Tennis Club, Eastbourne, Britain - June 25, 2025 Czech Republic's Barbora Krejcikova in action during her round of 16 match against Britain's Jodie Burrage Action Images via Reuters/Paul Childs/File Photo LONDON (Reuters) -Defending Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova will step into the All England Club this week carrying both the weight of expectation and a lingering injury concern, yet the Czech appears utterly unfazed by either. Days after withdrawing from the Eastbourne Open with a thigh injury, Krejcikova seemed calmly assured for someone who defied the odds at Wimbledon last year when she stunned Grand Slam champions en route to the title as the 31st seed. Krejcikova has had limited preparation after a back injury sidelined her for six months, playing six matches since her return in May. "It's definitely not difficult (returning as defending champion). It's actually very, very nice to be here and very nice to play, even after all the time I was out," Krejcikova told reporters on Sunday. "So I'm enjoying it, I'm happy to be here. I find it tough, complicated, but I don't find it difficult. I'm very much looking forward to play on Tuesday. "It's basically a new tournament, even though I won it last year and I have great memories for this one. I want to come here and do well again. The preparation is the same, I've been working really hard to come back and to enjoy this position." Krejcikova's first-round opponent is Alexandra Eala, the 20-year-old Filipino who announced herself by stunning Iga Swiatek to reach the semi-finals at the Miami Open in March before reaching the Eastbourne final. "I don't really know that much about her yet because she's obviously a young player, an upcoming player and one of the players of the new generation," Krejcikova said. "But I saw some rallies, I saw some matches. I know that she was doing quite well in the first half of the year, so I'm looking forward. It's going to be a great matchup. I'm looking forward to playing her to see where the young generation is." (Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru;Editing by Christian Radnedge)
The Star
4 hours ago
- The Star
Tennis-Raducanu back at Wimbledon as British number one but tempers expectations
Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - June 28, 2025 Britain's Emma Raducanu during a practice session REUTERS/Andrew Couldridge LONDON (Reuters) -The first round of Wimbledon begins on Monday with defending champion Carlos Alcaraz seeking a hat-trick of titles at the All England Club while women's top seed Aryna Sabalenka resumes her quest for a first major this year after two runner-up finishes. TOP WOMEN'S MATCH: EMMA RADUCANU V MINGGE XU Emma Raducanu strides onto the grasscourts of Wimbledon on Monday as the British number one, a world away from the wide-eyed teenager who burst onto the scene at the All England Club four years ago. "It does feel like a long time ago. A lot has happened in the last four years," Raducanu told reporters, reflecting on her meteoric rise from obscurity to the fourth round in 2021, a run that preceded her astonishing U.S. Open triumph later that year. Raducanu faces 17-year-old British wildcard Mingge Xu, who will be making her own Grand Slam debut this year. "It's good to see a new generation, it keeps us on our toes. It keeps us hungry to improve. It's just healthy competition between all of us," Raducanu added. The intervening years have been more of a cautionary tale, as injuries and the constant changing of coaches prevented the 22-year-old from building on that early success. A recent back injury also forced her to withdraw from the Berlin Open and Raducanu arrives at Wimbledon with a question mark over her physical condition, saying her back is not yet at 100%. Once the darling of British expectations, Raducanu now seeks to manage them carefully, speaking with the hard-earned wisdom of someone who has experienced both the summit and the struggle of professional tennis. "Truthfully I don't expect much from myself this year," she said. "I know I've just been dealing with certain things. I just want to go out there and embrace the moment, embrace the occasion." TOP MEN'S MATCH: TAYLOR FRITZ V GIOVANNI MPETSHI PERRICARD While most top seeds fine-tuned their game on Wimbledon's pristine practice courts this week, Taylor Fritz was busy collecting silverware on England's south coast, a strategy the American hopes could finally unlock his Grand Slam potential. The ninth seed arrives at the All England Club as the in-form player on grass having claimed two titles, beating Alexander Zverev on his home turf to lift the Stuttgart Open before he defended his Eastbourne Open title on Saturday. "One more title and I might have to buy a house here," quipped Fritz after clinching his fourth Eastbourne crown in six editions on Saturday. Fritz's unconventional preparation, playing competitively right up to the start of Wimbledon while rivals opt for closed practice sessions, represents a calculated gamble for a player whose Grand Slam performances have failed to match his seeding. Despite enjoying fourth-seed status at both the Australian Open and the French Open this year, the 27-year-old American failed to reach the second week at both majors. But where some players might see risks related to fatigue with such a tight turnaround, Fritz sees a competitive advantage. "It is what it is, having to play at Wimbledon on Monday," Fritz said. "I'd rather go into a tournament with a lot of confidence than being there for the whole week just practising." WIMBLEDON ORDER OF PLAY ON MONDAY (prefix number denotes seeding) CENTRE COURT (play begins at 1230 GMT) Fabio Fognini (Italy) v 2-Carlos Alcaraz (Spain) 9-Paula Badosa (Spain) v Katie Boulter (Britain) Arthur Rinderknech (France) v 3-Alexander Zverev (Germany) COURT NUMBER ONE (play begins at 1200 GMT) 1-Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus) v Carson Branstine (Canada) Jacob Fearnley (Britain) v Joao Fonseca (Brazil) Emma Raducanu (Britain) v Mingge Xu (Britain) COURT NUMBER TWO (play begins at 1200 GMT) Benjamin Bonzi (France) v 9-Daniil Medvedev (Russia) Elena-Gabriela Ruse (Romania) v 6-Madison Keys (U.S.) 4-Jasmine Paolini (Italy) v Anastasija Sevastova (Latvia) 5-Taylor Fritz (U.S.) v Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard (France) (Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru;Editing by Christian Radnedge)
New Straits Times
6 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Mercedes talk of Verstappen is a lot of noise, says Horner
SPIELBERG, Austria: Red Bull team boss Christian Horner on Saturday dismissed as "noise" talk of Max Verstappen moving to Mercedes, perhaps even next year, and suggested the four-time world champion was irritated by it. Mercedes have George Russell out of contract at the end of the year, and both the British driver and team principal Toto Wolff have referenced the possibility of Verstappen becoming available at some point. "It's a lot of noise. I think Max gets quite annoyed by it and we are very clear with the contract that we have with Max until 2028," Horner told Sky Sports television after Austrian Grand Prix qualifying. "Anything is entirely speculative that is being said but we tend not to pay too much attention to it. "I can imagine that George is frustrated, he hasn't been given a contract yet. But that's between him and his team. The situation with Max, we know clearly where we're at, as does Max," he added. "Everything is subject to noise and within any contract it remains confidential between the parties." Verstappen is known to have a release clause in his contract that would allow him to leave if certain performance targets are not met. The Dutch driver is third overall in the championship, 43 points behind McLaren's Oscar Piastri, but qualified only seventh on Saturday for his team's home race at the Red Bull Ring, with McLaren's Lando Norris on pole. Verstappen recognised he would not have been able to take pole position even without the yellow flags that forced him to abort his final effort. "FP3 (final practice) wasn't too bad but somehow in qualifying it just completely disappeared; there wasn't a single corner where I felt happy with the car," said the champion. "That is of course a big problem with qualifying. "Hopefully tomorrow we can at least be competitive with Ferrari or Mercedes. I don't know because with the balance that I had in quali, for sure that is not going to look great for tomorrow."
