WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman has updated World Boxing News on the situation regarding Manny Pacquiao after a weekend exhibition.
Pacquiao looked a shadow of his former self as the Filipino legend took far too many shots against rangy kickboxer Rukiya Anpo. The fight was declared a draw after three rounds by default as no judges were on duty for the Super RIZIN 3 ‘Special Standing Rules’ bout.
However, according to the stats, Anpo outscored Pacquiao by 2 to 1. Those punch numbers mean it’s more than likely that Anpo would have been victorious over Pacquiao in any official boxing bout despite having zero experience and facing a legend of the sport.
Before the weekend encounter, WBN had been at the forefront of reporting on Pacquiao’s potential WBC welterweight title clash with champion Mario Barrios. The WBC previously stated they would consider sanctioning the title fight due to Pacquiao’s status as a boxing icon.
Following his drab performance against Anpo, many asked serious questions about Pacquiao’s continued ability to compete at 45. Given what was witnessed, Pacquiao would have little chance against a young, hungry titleholder like Barrios and could leave the WBC embarrassed if they sanctioned an aged former pound-for-pound king only for him to lose badly.
Manny Pacquiao vs Mario Barrios update
Therefore, WBN contacted Sulaiman to ask about his reaction to Pacquiao vs. Anpo. The WBC President then revealed where the potential fight currently stands.
“I didn’t watch the exhibition,” Sulaiman told World Boxing News exclusively. “But I heard he didn’t look good.
“We do not have any petition for the WBC to review, and as you know, we don’t operate on personal opinions but rather the WBC Board as a group. So let’s see what comes up next,” he added.
The fact that Pacquiao hasn’t put in an official bid for a title shot could mean the ‘Pac-Man’ himself wanted to gauge how far off full fitness he actually was. It’s no secret that Pacquiao would step up his training camp if he had a title shot lined up.
What is worrying is that Pacquiao has been releasing training images and videos for months, which in itself begs the question of just how intense those sessions were.
One plan to keep the WBC title fight alive would be for Pacquiao to fight a professional warm-up in September or October before facing Barrios in December. That way, Pacquiao could gauge any subsequent efforts fairly with a more significant training camp behind him.
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.
