Manny Pacquiao has announced his readiness to face WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios on July 19 in Las Vegas.
Pacquiao’s ring return is not just for one farewell bout, either: The former eight-division world champion intends to fight on indefinitely.
The comeback starts July 19, when Pacquiao returns from a four-year layoff and attempts to break his own record by becoming the oldest welterweight champion in boxing history.
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“I’m returning because I miss my boxing,” Pacquiao said at a press conference in Los Angeles. “Especially these situations — being interviewed, press conference, training camp, everything like that.
“I missed that. But it has been good for me — I’ve rested my body for four years. And now I come back.”
“I always thought, even when I hung up my gloves, ‘I can still fight, I can still feel my body, I can still work hard,’” Pacquiao said.
“That moment when I announced hanging up my gloves four years ago — I was so sad. I was crying, I cannot stop the tears coming out my eyes.”
