Star trainer Robert Garcia believes Manny Pacquiao still has enough in the tank to beat Rolando Romero

Manny Pacquiao made a dramatic return to professional boxing on July 19, proving that age is just a number. At 46, the Filipino boxing legend stepped into the ring against WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios in a 12-round clash that ended in a controversial majority draw.

Two judges scored the bout 114–114, while the third narrowly gave the fight to Barrios at 115–113. With the result, Barrios retained his title and improved his record to 29-2-2 (18 KOs), while Pacquiao now holds a professional mark of 62-8-3.

Despite the stalemate, Pacquiao and his team remain optimistic about what’s next. Talks are reportedly underway for a potential showdown with WBA titleholder Rolando “Rolly” Romero, which could give Pacquiao another chance to reclaim world championship glory.

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Robert Garcia, The Ring’s 2024 Trainer of the Year, coached two fighters who previously faced Pacquiao—Antonio Margarito in 2010 and Brandon Rios in 2013—but came up short. Garcia believes Pacquiao still has enough left in the tank to compete at the highest level.

🏃‍♂️ Manny Pacquiao starts training in LA for his comeback fight!!

Is Rolly Romero next? 👀 pic.twitter.com/oIwpyGRjVZ

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“Maybe he doesn’t have a lot of gas left in the tank anymore, but he has enough gas to compete against guys like Barrios or Rolly. Rolly is the perfect fight for him. Next to Barrios, people think Rolly is the one who shouldn’t be too difficult,” Garcia told The Ring.

“It sucks to say it, because Barrios is a really good person and a nice kid. But they picked Barrios in July because they thought he was the easiest champion from the 147-pound division. I thought Barrios was going to handle Pacquiao pretty easily and beat him without problems, but it was actually the other way around. Most people thought that Pacquiao pulled it off.

“With that in itself, it was a win for Manny. If he were to get destroyed and beaten, then it should have been an obvious retirement. But he is now in a position for another huge fight to challenge for another world title,” he added.

Pacquiao recently confirmed that talks with Romero are ongoing, though nothing is official yet. Outside the ring, he was also involved in organizing the 50th anniversary celebration of the “Thrilla in Manila”—the iconic 1975 bout between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier—held at a restaurant in Cubao, Quezon City, through his Manny Pacquiao Promotions in partnership with the International Boxing Association (IBA).

Driven by personal milestones, Pacquiao reportedly aims to break his own record as the oldest fighter in history to win a welterweight world title—a mark he set at age 40 when he defeated Keith Thurman to claim the WBA welterweight crown.

Should the Romero fight materialize, it would mark yet another chapter in Pacquiao’s storied legacy—one that continues to shine brightly, even as he approaches the half-century mark in age.

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