Manny Pacquiao is closing in on a return to boxing and hopes to fight two or three more times before hanging up his gloves once and for all.
The Filipino legend, who will be inducted into the hall of fame next month as boxing’s only eight-division champion, has an agreement to challenge Mario Barrios for the WBC welterweight title in Las Vegas on July 19.
It is understood terms were agreed following face-to-face talks between Pacquiao, representatives of Barrios and promoters Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) in the Philippines last week.
WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman gave the bout his blessing while attending the Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez-William Scull event in Saudi Arabia at the weekend, describing it as a “great fight”.
The T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas has been lined up as a venue, but Pacquiao wants to wait until after the coming elections in his homeland before making a final decision and announcing his plans.
The 46-year-old, who has not fought since defeat to Yordenis Ugas in August 2021, is in a tight race for a seat in the Senate of the Philippines, with voters going to the polls on May 12.
“Manny feels good and that he still has it in him to compete at that level. He feels he can still fight two or three more times, this year, next year and maybe even into 2027,” a source close to Pacquiao told The National.
It is understood Pacquiao is already in training and is not fazed by the short turnaround between the elections and a potential July 19 bout.
He insists he needs only a 30-day camp and sparring to be ready and would travel to the US and reunite with long-time trainer Freddie Roach at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles.
A bout against Barrios has been discussed for some time and Pacquiao had been keen to bring it to the UAE.
He considers Dubai his second home, possesses a golden visa and held talks with Abu Dhabi Sports Council about staging the Barrios fight in the UAE capital.
Last November, he put on a show for thousands of fans at Global Village before returning to take in the New Year celebrations at Burj Khalifa. He has numerous business dealings in the UAE and plans to open both a boxing museum and academy in Dubai.
“We are working right now, probably after this week we can finalise everything for the fight here in Abu Dhabi,” Pacquiao told The National, in January.
“We are still negotiating. We were planning to fight in the United States in July, but why not here? Bring [Barrios] here. It's going to be the third week of July in Abu Dhabi for a world championship. We have had talks with his promoter.”
As Pacquiao revealed then, the fight is indeed slated for the third week of July, but the venue will be in Las Vegas with the PBC eager to stage the event stateside.
Should he return to the ring for the first time since 2021 then it would take his record-breaking career into a 30th year having debuted, aged 16, back in 1995.
Pacquiao is the holder of several world records, including being the only boxer to lift a world title in four different decades. He previously served as a senator of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022.
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Race 3
Produced: Salman Khan Films and Tips Films
Director: Remo D’Souza
Cast: Salman Khan, Anil Kapoor, Jacqueline Fernandez, Bobby Deol, Daisy Shah, Saqib Salem
Rating: 2.5 stars
The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed
Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000
Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Performance: the specs
Engine: 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 plus rear-mounted electric motor
Power: 843hp at N/A rpm
Torque: 1470Nm N/A rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.6L/100km
On sale: October to December
Price: From Dh875,000 (estimate)
Winners
Ballon d’Or (Men’s)
Ousmane Dembélé (Paris Saint-Germain / France)
Ballon d’Or Féminin (Women’s)
Aitana Bonmatí (Barcelona / Spain)
Kopa Trophy (Best player under 21 – Men’s)
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona / Spain)
Best Young Women’s Player
Vicky López (Barcelona / Spain)
Yashin Trophy (Best Goalkeeper – Men’s)
Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City / Italy)
Best Women’s Goalkeeper
Hannah Hampton (England / Aston Villa and Chelsea)
Men’s Coach of the Year
Luis Enrique (Paris Saint-Germain)
Women’s Coach of the Year
Sarina Wiegman (England)
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Name: Peter Dicce
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer
Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
GIANT REVIEW
Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Athale
Rating: 4/5
The Limehouse Golem
Director: Juan Carlos Medina
Cast: Olivia Cooke, Bill Nighy, Douglas Booth
Three stars
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