Pacquiao earns WBC No. 5 ranking ahead of world title clash vs. Barrios
Manny Pacquiao. | Pacquiao’s Facebook page
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao‘s defeat in the Philippine midterm elections is inevitable as he’s ranked way out of the Senate’s “Magic 12” race in the latest COMELEC canvassing.
However, he has found renewed momentum in the boxing ring.
In a surprise move, the World Boxing Council (WBC) has reinstated Pacquiao as the No. 5 contender in its latest welterweight world rankings—just months before his highly anticipated return to the ring against reigning champion Mario Barrios this July.
Pacquiao, 46, officially announced his comeback days before Monday’s elections, confirming his challenge against the younger and reigning WBC world welterweight champion, Barrios.
Although the exact date has yet to be announced, the bout is expected to take place in Las Vegas.
WBC rankings
The WBC’s latest rankings put Pacquiao just behind American Devin Haney, France’s Souleymane Cissokho, Britain’s Conor Benn, and Lithuania’s Egidijus Kavaliauskas.
His reinstatement as a top-five contender paves the way for a legitimate world title shot in accordance with WBC rules, which allow former champions to request a title fight upon returning from retirement.
Pacquiao, the sport’s only eight-division world champion, will have to shake off significant ring rust.
His last fight was in 2019, where he lost to Yordenis Ugas—a last-minute replacement for Errol Spence Jr.—for the WBA (Super) world welterweight title.
That loss prompted Pacquiao’s retirement and his eventual 2022 presidential bid, which he also lost.
Now back in fighting form, Pacquiao (68-8-2, 39 KOs) aims to reclaim boxing glory against the 29-year-old Barrios, who most recently retained his title in a hard-fought draw against Abel Ramos in November.
While his political comeback remains uncertain—currently sitting at 18th place in the senatorial race with 10.2 million votes—Pacquiao’s boxing resurgence offers an intriguing new chapter in his storied career.
Disclaimer: The comments uploaded on this site do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of management and owner of Cebudailynews. We reserve the right to exclude comments that we deem to be inconsistent with our editorial standards.
