Manny Pacquiao has yet to formally request a World Boxing Council title shot for a possible clash against welterweight champion Mario Barrios.
Despite World Boxing News breaking the news exclusively on May 31, Pacquiao has not asked the WBC to consider him for a championship challenge. The Filipino superstar must seek permission for special dispensation due to his lack of ranking and losing his last fight.
Pacquiao, 45, holds legendary status, so it’s not considered a problem. However, as Mauricio Sulaiman told WBN first, the WBC is open to a fight with Barrios.
“I find it something very interesting,” Sulaiman said at the WBC Coffee Tuesday event, captured on video by Izquierdazo. “Pacquiao is a legendary boxer and without a doubt, he still has the attributes to get into the ring.
“The medical examinations have all been satisfactory, and he is a top-level boxer. We have not received any official request, and we do know that there are intentions, but I feel that it is something that we have to wait for to be expressed formally. Manny Pacquiao has already done everything he had to do in the ring, but I feel he is not at risk more than any other boxer.
“He has passed his medical exams [for a July 28 exhibition in Japan]. He has great quality and is also of a historical level in boxing.”
When speaking to WBN about the possibility, Sulaiman again cited Sugar Ray Leonard as the example Pacquiao could follow after three years out of the ring. He repeated that on Tuesday.
“At the time Sugar Ray Leonard returned against Hagler, It was a very different issue from others who fought after their faculty was no longer there, but let’s see what happens.
“We are going through a great moment in world boxing. Fury against Usyk was one of the great fights. You have Canelo, [Terence] Crawford, and [Naoya] Inoue. We are on another level,” he concluded.
Pacquiao vs Barrios could happen in September or October at the MGM Grand or T-Mobile Arena and be a fitting farewell for the eight-weight world champion.
It would be over five years since Pacquiao became the oldest 147-pound champion in history against Keith Thurman and could write another exceptional episode in the Manny Pacquiao history books.
Read all articles and exclusive interviews by Phil Jay. Learn more about the author, experienced boxing writer, and World Boxing News Editor since 2010. Follow on Twitter @PhilJWBN.
