‘Book of politics is closed’: Manny Pacquiao solely focusing on his boxing comeback

Philippine boxing legend Manny Pacquiao was widely expected to make a return to boxing after a four-year hiatus—and now the former eight-division world champion has made it official.

Pacquiao took to social media to announce that he will come out of retirement to face World Boxing Council (WBC) welterweight champion Mario Barrios for the title in Las Vegas.

“I’m back. On July 19, I return to the ring to face WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Let’s make history!” Pacquiao posted on X (formerly known as Twitter). 

The delay in confirming the fight was due to Pacquiao’s bid to return to the Philippine Senate. However, things didn’t go well for the boxing icon, as he only managed an 18th-place finish with 10,397,133 votes—falling short of the top 12 who secured seats. Notably, he previously served as senator from 2016 to 2022, and two of his family members also failed in their bids to join the House of Representatives. 

The Filipino legend has now opened up on his foray into politics, reaffirming in a media interaction that the politics chapter is closed for now.

Manny Pacquiao engaged in a sparring session with undefeated American prospect Samuel Contreras in preparation for his forthcoming world title comeback bout against reigning WBC Champion Mario Barrioa on July 19th in Las Vegas, NV. pic.twitter.com/z62N0uC8J1

— OLE (@pinoyboxingno1) June 5, 2025

“Right now, the book of politics is closed. It’s not even in my mind. I’m focusing on my career as a boxer again. I can still do my job in boxing. I’m not done yet. The fire, the determination, the eagerness to train and work hard, it’s still there. It’s amazing,” Pacquiao told the Associated Press.

It’s worth noting that Pacquiao has had a successful stint in politics in the past, serving as a senator from 2016 until 2022, the year he finished third in the Philippines’ presidential election.

“That moment when I announced I was hanging up my gloves four years ago, I was so sad. I couldn’t avoid the tears coming to my eyes. I really missed boxing. For however many months, I was like, ‘I’m not a boxer anymore?,’” he added.

This will be the 46-year-old’s first professional fight since losing to Yordenis Ugas by unanimous decision in August 2021 for the World Boxing Association (WBA) super welterweight title. The former eight-division world champion added that fans should understand that he was not at his best in 2021 due to various outside-the-ring distractions. 

The presidential run, a lawsuit filed against him by a management company, and a massage that went wrong before the fight—all of them played a role in his mind not being in the right state. 

“I was so bothered. I did a lot of things that aren’t good for me,” Pacquiao concluded.

It will be intriguing to see whether Pacquiao can make a victorious comeback to boxing against an opponent 16 years his junior. The fight between Pacquiao and Barrios will reportedly be streamed via PBC on Prime Video pay-per-view.”

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