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Forbes
20-07-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
Manny Pacquiao's Next Fight: Icon's Next Steps After Barrios Fight
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JULY 19: Manny Pacquiao speaks at a press conference after his match with Mario ... More Barrios for WBC welterweight championship world titles of the Premiere Boxing Championship on Saturday night at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States on July 19, 2025. (Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images) Manny Pacquiao defied logic and father time on Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. At 46 years old, he pushed Mario Barrios to the brink and fell just short of winning the WBC welterweight title as their fight was deemed a majority draw. One thing is clear, Pacquiao will fight again. What we don't know is when, and while there is an inkling, we don't exactly know who. In the hours after the decision was read—one judge scoring it for Barrios, the others calling it even—the boxing world was lit up with disbelief. Fighters, fans, and media personalities didn't just question the result; many flat-out called it a robbery. Shakur Stevenson said the 'decision was crazy,' and Shawn Porter didn't hide his disgust, saying, 'I knew the BS was comin'. I'm sick.' Even Barrios, in his post-fight comments, seemed to welcome the idea of doing it actually landed more power punches than Barrios and stunned the younger fighter multiple times with combinations that felt ripped from his prime years. Despite a four-year layoff, he looked sharper than expected and never truly faded down the stretch. That last part—how strong he looked late—might be the most telling. This wasn't a nostalgia cash grab. This was a 46-year-old legend going 12 hard rounds with a legit world champion and arguably winning. And it's why talk of a rematch, or at least one more big fight, has already started. It hasn't just started. At this point, it's expected. The likely scenario is a second bout with Barrios. Both men expressed interest, and it solves multiple problems at once. It gives closure to a controversial outcome, brings in PPV dollars, and lets Pacquiao mount another charge at a belt. If you're wondering if Pacquiao is still a draw, you didn't see, feel and hear the energy in the MGM Grand on Saturday. It was electric and his enormous fanbase is alive and well. He may also look elsewhere—names like Keith Thurman or even Conor Benn have floated out there in conversations, though neither brings the same heat as a second run at Barrios. There's also a second fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. that would make both men an obscene amount of money. LAS VEGAS, NV - APRIL 29: WBC/WBA welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. (L) and WBO ... More welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao pose during a news conference at the KA Theatre at MGM Grand Hotel & Casino on April 29, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The two will face each other in a unification bout on May 2, 2015 in Las Vegas. (Photo by) If the goal is a win and another world title, a rematch makes the most sense. If the goal is a spectacle, there are other even more lucrative roads. But no matter what path he chooses, Saturday night showed Pacquiao isn't just still capable of competing—with the right opponent, he's still dangerous and capable of being a world champion. What comes next might hinge on timing. He said in the post-fight interview that he'd want a longer training camp. That tells you two things: first, he wasn't just preparing for a one-and-done return, and second, he believes there's still room to level up. As rare of an athlete as Pacquiao is, his confidence is probably even more of a marvel. He seems to live on a planet of blissful ignorance and that's not an insult. In many ways, his faith and belief are what set him apart from the limitations that most of us allow to set our ceilings. It is hard not to root for someone with that kind of fuel in their tank. What happens in the rematch? I'm not sure, but Pacquiao has already won.
Forbes
27-03-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
Canelo Alvarez Explains What Annoyed Him About David Benavidez
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - SEPTEMBER 14: Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez speaks at a press conference after he ... More defeated Edgar Berlanga during their super middleweight world titles of the Premiere Boxing Championship on Saturday night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States on September 14, 2024. (Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images) Canelo Alvarez is an all-time great, and at this stage of his career and life, he moves at his own pace. He refuses to be accelerated by anything or anyone, and that includes David Benavidez, one of the many who seek to meet him in the ring. I spoke to Canelo this week about Benavidez's approach and his pursuit of the Mexican icon. LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JANUARY 09: Boxer David Benavidez works out at Pound 4 Pound Gym on January 09, ... More 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Benavidez is scheduled to meet WBA light heavyweight champion David Morrell Jr. in a bout at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on February 01. (Photo by) I asked Canelo what annoyed him about the 28-year-old interim light heavyweight champion's style. Like former opponent Floyd Mayweather Jr., who Canelo identified as a 'great fighter' during our conversation, the Mexican icon has reached a point in his career that produces a level of liberation most fighters never get to enjoy. Canelo has had so much in-ring and financial success that he no longer has to run to build a legacy or fortune for himself. That is already secured. Canelo's level of vulnerability to the criticism that has come from his unwillingness to fight Benavidez is based on how much he cares about what people have to say. And believe me, there is a ton of chatter. The very first comment on the video is a pro-Benavidez comment, and it is not without merit. One commenter said: One key point that Canelo—and some other great fighters I've spoken to—sometimes realize is that there will always be another guy. There will always be a guy that the public and boxing community wants them to fight. NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 27: Boxer Canelo Alvarez poses with his championship belts at the end of ... More the press conference during the press tour for his fight against Gennady Golovkin on June 27, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by) At some point, they have to evolve into being businessmen that box, and not remain fighters who don't understand business. That's a tough pill to swallow for fans who simply want to see fights. But I never blame a fighter for reaching this level, especially when they have accomplished as much as Canelo and others of his ilk. Canelo's next fight is scheduled for May 3. He will face IBF super middleweight champion William Scull. Canelo comes in as the WBO and WBC champion at 168 pounds, and he is looking to unify three-fourths of the titles in the division.
