LAS VEGAS — Manny Pacquiao, 46, looked a lot better in his fight with Mario Barrios on Saturday than he did four years ago when he lost to Yordenis Ugas. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough for Pacquiao to break his record as the oldest fighter to win a welterweight world title, as the fight ended in a disappointing majority draw.
Regardless of the outcome, Pacquiao defied the odds by being competitive with a champion 16 years younger than him and by showing some of the explosiveness and speed that made him an eight-division world champion and one of the biggest stars in the sport. Of bigger significance is that Pacquiao stated this wouldn’t be his last fight.
“Don’t worry, the PacMan is back, and the journey will continue,” Pacquiao said at the postfight news conference.
And if he does fight again, who should he face next? Both Barrios and Pacquiao agreed after the fight that there should be a rematch soon, but is that what the fans really want?
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Seeing Hall of Famer Pacquiao back in action might have been exciting, but once the novelty wore off, it wasn’t quite the type of barnburner that would warrant a return bout outside of the idea of Pacquiao getting another attempt at making history.
Instead, it was two fighters landing at a low clip, with Pacquiao landing 101 of 577 total punches (17.5%) and Barrios narrowly outlanding his older opponent 120-658 (18.2%).
For this version of Pacquiao, it was a great performance after four years away from the sport. However, the Pacquiao of a decade ago likely would have had little problem dispatching Barrios.
The reality is that Barrios presented the clearest path to Pacquiao winning a world championship, and Pacquiao was unable to pull it off. Although, some observers did feel he won the fight. (ESPN had Pacquiao winning 115-113.) However, there are bigger and better fights for the Filipino sensation besides Barrios.
“I don’t mean this in a mean way, but f— Mario Barrios,” Pacquiao’s manager Sean Gibbons told reporters after the fight. “He’s a nice guy and I like the kid, but Manny deserves a bigger name. There are fighters like Gervonta “Tank” Davis and [Rolando] “Rolly” Romero out there.”
The Davis fight seems like a long shot due to Tank being in a lower weight class (135 pounds), although it would be a massive fight and quite a dangerous one for Pacquiao. But a fight with Romero certainly feels both winnable and realistic for Pacquiao.
Romero is the WBA “regular” welterweight champion and is coming off a stunning decision win over Ryan Garcia in May. Romero doesn’t have a clear next opponent, and he will be elevated to full champion once Jaron “Boots” Ennis formally vacates his title and moves up to 154 pounds. It’s a less dangerous option than the winner of November’s fight between WBO champion Brian Norman Jr. and former undisputed lightweight champion Devin Haney; both are young, strong and would present significant problems for an older Pacquiao.
Pacquiao is interested in fighting again at the end of the year, so a fight with Romero lines up perfectly.
Ultimately, the decision will be Pacquiao’s to make.
Romero has heavy hands but lacks footwork and defense. He is riding a wave of visibility and would almost certainly sell the fight in ways that Barrios couldn’t. The fight itself would be action-packed, with Romero trying to hit a home run on a legend and Pacquiao darting in and out with combinations.
It’s either that or pull Floyd Mayweather out of retirement for a rematch.
Don’t laugh, because Pacquiao is dead serious.
“If [Mayweather] comes out of retirement and signs the contract, we’ll fight,” Pacquiao said. “Let’s fight again if he wants. I’m active now.”
Boxing fans might not want that rematch, but it’s a viable option in a world where Jake Paul fought Mike Tyson and pulled off massive viewership numbers.
But until Mayweather formally announces that he’s back, let’s stick with what’s realistic for Pacquiao: Rolando “Rolly” Romero.