Former welterweight champion Keith Thurman believes Manny Pacquiao can hurt Mario Barrios in WBC title bout

Former unified world welterweight champion Keith Thurman is widely considered one of the best boxers in the welterweight division and was ranked as the fifth-best active boxer in the division as recently as July 2022.

Thurman, like many former world champions, has shared his opinion on the upcoming World Boxing Council (WBC) welterweight title fight between current champion Mario Barrios and Philippine boxing legend Manny Pacquiao. Thurman, whose last bout came against Brock Jarvis in March of this year in Sydney, Australia, believes the outcome of the fight will largely depend on Pacquiao’s fitness.

“It’s hard to know, with the age of Pacquiao, what we’re going to get from him. But I will tell you this — depending on his conditioning, depending on how much he can pop in on that in-step he brought to me, that notorious fast in-step — if he can pop that and get in, I know he can hurt Mario Barrios,” Thurman said in an interview with Boxing247.

“I hurt Mario Barrios on multiple occasions, Tank Davis hurt him, so I know Pacquiao can hurt Barrios,” he added.

Notably, Thurman fought Pacquiao for the World Boxing Association (WBA) Super welterweight title six years ago, losing the bout to the Filipino legend by split decision. Pacquiao became the oldest welterweight champion at age 40 after winning that fight. The American star also fought Barrios in February 2022 and proved to be a class above his opponent.

The 36-year-old added that Barrios’ defense remains suspect, but his youth and stamina could give him an edge over Pacquiao, who is 16 years his senior.

Manny Pacquiao Dropped Keith Thurman in Round 1. After Thurman got off to a good start Pacquiao punished him for overcommitting 🥊

Pacquiao went on to win a 12 Round Split-Decision which should have been Unanimous. Where does this Pacquiao victory rank amongst his greatest Wins? pic.twitter.com/5Tj3WruFVR

— Hamed (@HamedBoxing) April 17, 2025

“That’s the big thing in Pacquiao’s favor — Barrios was hurt against Abel Ramos — and that’s the thing: the defense of Barrios is still suspect. He’s not hard to find. But one thing I took away, even though I beat him, is that he has a really good jab. He used that jab when he beat Yordenis Ugas, and Ugas beat Pacquiao by staying long. So I think if Barrios works that jab, makes the old man use his legs and work hard to get inside, he can pull it off,” he added.

The decision to grant Pacquiao a direct title shot has stirred controversy within the boxing community. Critics question why he is being given an immediate title opportunity, especially since he hasn’t been officially ranked in years. Some have also accused WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman of favoritism, noting that Pacquiao hasn’t won a professional fight since 2019.

Currently, fighters such as Devin Haney, Souleymane Cissokho, Conor Benn, and Egidijus Kavaliauskas are ranked above Pacquiao. Others — including Raul Curiel, Thulani Mbenge, Eimantas Stanionis, Abel Ramos, and Alexis Rocha — have reportedly been pushed down the rankings to make way for the legendary Filipino boxer.

Barrios, on the other hand, has won 29 of his 32 fights, with 18 victories coming by knockout. The Mexican-American won the interim WBC title in September 2023 and was elevated to full champion in June 2024 after Terence Crawford moved up to 154 pounds to face Israil Madrimov. Barrios has only lost twice — to Gervonta Davis and Keith Thurman.

The bout was initially scheduled for the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas but was moved to the MGM Grand Garden Arena due to a prior commitment for a Lady Gaga concert.

The fight between Pacquiao and Barrios will reportedly be streamed via PBC on Prime Video pay-per-view.

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