Manny Pacquiao is closing in on an unprecedented WBC welterweight title shot at 45, allowing the Filipino superstar to break his record.
Pacquiao is in talks to challenge former interim champion Mario Barrios for the full WBC crown after the WBC decided to elevate his title status in June.
Back then, the WBC said, “The WBC Board of Governors has voted in favor of the ruling to elevate interim champion Mario Barrios to World champion after the WBC granted Terrence Crawford the Champion in recess status and will compete in a final elimination bout in the super welterweight division to decide then in which category he will continue.
“Mario Barrios, the hero of San Antonio, conquered the WBC interim championship on September 30th, 2023, as he defeated Yordenis Ugas in a sensational fight. In his most recent bout, he defeated Fabian Maidana by decision at Las Vegas, Nevada.”
Barrios being handed the coveted green and gold strap is Pacquiao’s gain. The eight-weight titleholder immediately targeted Barrios, as MP Promotions President Sean Gibbons told WBN first in May.
Since then, Gibbons has kept WBN in the loop and updated the situation before Premier Boxing Champions released its fall/winter schedule.
Manny Pacquiao vs Mario Barrios in-play
“Absolutely, Barrios is in play for Manny Pacquiao,” Gibbons told World Boxing News exclusively. “It will either come together in the next two weeks or not. We are absolutely pushing forward to get it done.
“That’s all in. We are all in to make that fight with Barrios,” he added.
WBN Lead Writer Alan Dawson had also confirmed earlier this week that Pacquiao vs Barrios was on the agenda for PBC confirmation in the coming weeks. Once the contract is signed, Pacquiao can smash his oldest welterweight champion record by five years and change.
Back in July 2019, Pacquiao challenged Keith Thurman in Las Vegas. WBN was ringside to witness Pacquiao become the oldest 147-pound titleholder in history at 40. In what could prove to be his swansong, depending on the result, Pacquiao could tornado that benchmark out of the ballpark with a stunning victory over Barrios.
Currently, WBN understands that the MGM Grand would be the favorite to land the fight as Pacquiao is undefeated in his last three appearances at the venue. PBC will consider The T-Mobile, but with Pacquiao losing to Ugas in the arena last time, the MGM would be the perfect setting for boxing’s ‘Pac-Man’ to go for gold again.
Furthermore, additional information will become apparent in the next fortnight.
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.
