Unless something drastic happens within a month, 46-year-old Manny Pacquiao is definitely returning to the ring, and it looks like he is here to stay. When the WBC president, Mauricio Sulaimán, announced that PacMan would fight Mario Barrios for the welterweight title on July 19, fans had questions. What will happen if the former eight-division champion actually wins the title? How long does he intend to stay, or is that it?
A few days ago, we got the answers from the man himself. At a press conference in Las Vegas, the Filipino legend claimed that he will think about the future after the Barrios fight. However, if he wins, he is not ruling out the possibility of facing the likes of Ryan Garcia, Devin Haney, and especially Gervonta Davis. Even though the 46-year-old did not claim anything explicitly, it was enough for the internet to fantasize about the Tank matchup. Experts chimed in, sharing their predictions about the dream bout, and right on cue, Floyd Mayweather‘s uncle, Jeff Mayweather, shared his take on the bout.
Gervonta Davis needs to be worried
Recently, Team Mayweather uploaded a video on their YouTube channel, The Mayweather Channel, showing Jeff Mayweather giving his two cents about the bout. At first, the trainer wanted to know the weight the duo would be fighting at, as it would make a lot of difference. “What weight are they gonna fight at? I think the weight determination, where they going to fight at, has something to do with it. Cuz, ain’t he fighting Barrios at 40(147lbs) or something like that?” the veteran boxing trainer asked.
Given the fact that Gervonta Davis has never ventured past super lightweight, Jeff Mayweather’s points make sense. However, it is also worth noting that the Baltimore native is at the prime of his career. On the other hand, despite having almost a 10 lbs advantage, Manny Pacquiao is the clear underdog. He is 16 years older than Davis, hasn’t fought in 4 years, and the ring rust will be there. As a result, the boxing world is heavily favoring Gervonta Davis if the bout happens. However, the former IBO featherweight champion thinks otherwise.
“I think people probably would have thought that, if Tank didn’t have that bad performance, I think everybody would have thought that he has zero chance,” Mayweather stated, referencing the near-escape Tank had against Lamont Roach Jr back in March. According to the trainer, the majority draw has affected the WBA Lightweight Champion’s dominance in fans’ eyes. “After that performance that Tank had, believe me, there’s going to be a lot of people that’s going to say Manny Pacquiao got a chance,” he concluded. Unless Gervonta Davis exhibits a polar opposite performance against Roach in their rematch, the reservations are definitely going to be there despite the massive age gap.
However, that sentiment is not shared amongst his peers. Teddy Atlas also weighed in on Pacquiao’s comeback, and let’s just say he wasn’t this kind.
Manny Pacquiao needs to face the truth
In a recent episode of his show, The Fight With Teddy Atlas, the New York native tore apart the Filipino legend. Not only that, Atlas also criticized Pacquiao’s team for trying to paint a narrative of a triumphant return already. “Just think, you are playing with fire. No matter how much you move the furniture around, you still know what room you are in. You still know what room. You can’t fool yourself,” he declared.
Meaning? No matter how much Manny Pacquiao tries to make fans believe in himself, he knows the reality. No amount of training videos hyping his return can help the eight-division world champion escape the truth of his advanced age. It is the universal truth.
Atlas further added, “He’s in a room where he is 46 years old with 72 fights. I rest my case, counselor,” predicting a horrible fate for PacMan on his return. Forget Gervonta Davis, Atlas, who has coached 18 world champions, doubts Manny Pacquiao can even defeat Mario Barrios.
As expected, Manny Pacquiao’s return has divided the boxing world right down the middle. While some think it is a mistake, others are dismissing it as a mere cash grab, while a few still have faith in the 46-year-old veteran. Do chime in with your thoughts regarding this return down below.
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