What If Pacquiao Defeats Barrios?
By Ralph Rimpell
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 02 Jul 2025
It has been nearly four years since the boxing world last saw multi-divisional champion and future Hall of Famer Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao (62-8-2, 39 KOs) compete professionally. His last outing, a unanimous decision loss to Yordenis Ugas in August 2021 in Las Vegas, seemed to signal his graceful exit from the sport, allowing him to focus on politics and other endeavors outside the ring. However, that appears to be the furthest thing from the 46-year-old Pacquiao's mind.
The "boxing itch" has undeniably returned, and Pacquiao has made it official: he will step back into the squared circle on July 19, 2025, to challenge the reigning WBC welterweight champion, Mario Barrios (32-2-1, 18 KOs)—a man 16 years his junior. Should Pacquiao emerge victorious next month, he will not only reclaim a world title but also surpass his own remarkable record, becoming the oldest fighter to win a welterweight world championship at 46 years old. He previously achieved this incredible feat at 40 when he defeated Keith Thurman in 2019 for the Super WBA welterweight title. Pacquiao held the Regular WBA welterweight title at the time of the fight.
Pacquiao's return, regardless of the outcome, immediately ignites immense interest, drawing not only the boxing faithful but also mainstream fans, which, in turn, translates directly into dollars. If Pacquiao defies the odds and defeats Barrios, the ripple effect across the sport will be seismic. Top contenders and champions from the 140-pound division would likely eagerly move up to 147 pounds to challenge him. The other two or three welterweight champions would surely be willing to unify. Furthermore, fighters from the 154-pound super welterweight division would likely consider coming down to 147 pounds or propose a "catchweight"—a mutually agreed-upon fighting weight—just for the opportunity to face him. This is entirely predictable, as any fighter from those three weight classes would almost certainly earn their largest career payday by stepping into the ring with Pacquiao.
What truly intrigues this writer regarding a possible Pacquiao win is the potential for a blockbuster fight with Gervonta "Tank" Davis. This, of course, hinges on "Tank" successfully defeating Lamont Roach in their scheduled rematch this August 15, 2025. A Pacquiao vs. Davis fight would genuinely be a "big fight"—a clash of generations, styles, and immense star power.
But even if a Pacquiao vs. Davis fight doesn't come to fruition, there's an even grander spectacle that looms: the elusive Mayweather vs. Pacquiao II. The two future Hall of Famers last met in 2015, with Floyd Mayweather Jr. securing a unanimous decision victory. Pacquiao famously attributed that loss largely to a shoulder injury, for which he later underwent surgery. While some may argue that it's "too late" for a rematch between two veterans, countless others would gladly open their wallets to witness it. Boxing history offers compelling precedents: Sugar Ray Leonard and Thomas Hearns rematched almost seven years after their first epic encounter, and Sugar Ray Leonard's rubber match with Roberto Durán occurred nine years later. Both those fights were enthusiastically embraced by the public. So, if Pacquiao defeats Barrios, why not a Mayweather vs. Pacquiao rematch? Mayweather remains in excellent shape and has even participated in exhibition bouts, showing he's still active.
What other "big fights" are truly on the boxing horizon that could rival such an event? A Mayweather vs. Pacquiao rematch makes undeniable sense, both financially and historically. It will truly be interesting to see what unfolds if Manny Pacquiao defeats Mario Barrios next month. The implications for the boxing world could be extraordinary.
Boxing Notes
Canelo vs Crawford has been officially signed and officially announced by Turki Alalshkh. The Canelo train will come to a grinding stop on September 15, 2025, at the hands of Bud Crawford in an exciting fashion. You read it here first…Looking forward to Tank vs Roach II. This Writer says the rematch will be exciting but will be a totally different fight. Can’t wait for the announcement. Always count on PBC to deliver quality fights!!!
***Ralph Rimpell is a writer based out of New York and is a Boxing Correspondent for Philboxing.com. Ralph holds an undergraduate degree from City University of New York. He has been a Boxing Writer for over ten years having written for several top boxing websites on the World Wide Web. Before becoming a writer, Ralph's passion was for professional wrestling until he realized professional wrestling was entertainment and not a real sport. It was at that time the 1984 US Olympic team made up of future stars such as Evander Holyfield, Meldrick Taylor, Pernell Whitaker, etc. entered the professional ranks and signed with promotional outfit Main Events.It was also at that time a young exciting Heavyweight originally hailing from Brooklyn named Mike Tyson also turned professional and became the face of boxing. Young boxing fan Ralph just couldn't get enough of boxing as a large part of it was being broadcast on "free TV". As time went on, Ralph felt boxing writers were not being forthcoming with their boxing coverage, opinion pieces, interviews, etc. So Ralph decided to write an article and submitted it to a Boxing website thinking it would be deleted and ignored by the Editor. To Ralph's surprise his article was posted on their website and the readers embraced it. The rest is history.
"I thank God for the Internet because it has created opportunities for writers like myself who likely would not have been given an opportunity to write for print publications. I hope someday soon to expand my role in Boxing on different levels." -- Ralph Rimpell
Contact Writer: RLuvsboxing@aol.com
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ralph Rimpell.
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