Manny Pacquiao, left, and WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios pose at a news conference Wednesday, July 16, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
For more Pacquiao vs Barrios stories: The Pacquiao Files
LAS VEGAS—Manny Pacquiao is no spring chicken. And with that being said, he doesn’t have the luxury of starting slow in his comeback title fight against WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios on Saturday.
The Filipino eight-division world champ cannot just flip the switch whenever he wants at 46 years young against a champion in his physical prime.
READ: Pacquiao is back, but how back is he? Title fight will reveal all
“If Manny can make a major statement in the first round, I believe that would dictate what’s happening the rest of the fight,” Sean Gibbons, Pacquiao’s right-hand man, said on Thursday. “[Although] I think it could be two ways. It could be like the (Keith) Thurman fight, where that knockdown changed the whole outlook of the fight.”
Against Keith Thurman in 2019, Pacquiao established his ground right away by scoring a first-round knockdown before earning a split decision win and the WBA belt.
“If he feels it out and Barrios, they have a feeling-out round, I think they’re really gonna start to step it up,” Gibbons said. “I think Barrios is gonna be respectful, wants to see what Manny Pacquiao has in front of him. Manny still wants to let Barrios know ‘hey, I’m Manny Pacquiao … I’m here.”
READ: Manny Pacquiao vs Mario Barrios: ‘Real fight, all-out war’
Gibbons added that Thurman was more of a threat to Pacquiao than Barrios will ever be and vouched for Buboy Fernandez’s bold take when the veteran trainer predicted an early knockout win by the eight-division champion.
“Well, Buboy knows. Buboy is his trainer. I mean, Mario Barrios is there to get hit,” he said. “So at any moment, Manny Pacquiao can turn the lights out. Like he did with Thurman, he lands a couple of his shots.
“Mario Barrios is the easier fight than Keith Thurman because he comes to the fight,” explained Gibbons. “Keith Thurman was a very difficult fight. So I could see Manny ending it in one shot like that. You know three rounds … the first half of the fight is where he has more shots to end it.”
Already in top form, Pacquiao spent the last couple of days off with the official weigh-in coming up on Friday.
“Last two days. It’s been amazing right now. I was in the room with Manny yesterday, he was playing ‘Let it Be’ on the piano. He’s so comfortable and relaxed right now going into this moment,” Gibbons said.
A cool, calm and collected Pacquiao heading into a fight usually means trouble for the opponent.
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“It’s his experience. He’s been on the big stage before,” Gibbons went on, before heaping the ultimate praise. “He thrives in these moments. I like to put Manny Pacquiao in with Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan, man. These are the moments they live for. These are the moments that they work for.
“He’s just ready. So I really think on Saturday night, if he can get his timing down, he’s got the power, he’s got the speed, you’re gonna see a very explosive evening.”
