Manny Pacquiao’s trainer gives an honest assessment of the Filipino star’s conditioning ahead of his boxing comeback

Philippine boxing icon Manny Pacquiao was widely expected to return to the ring after a four-year hiatus—and the former eight-division world champion recently made it official.

Pacquiao announced on social media 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 Twitter).

This will be Pacquiao’s first professional fight since losing by unanimous decision to Yordenis Ugas in August 2021 for the World Boxing Association (WBA) super welterweight title. That title had been stripped from Pacquiao due to inactivity, and since then, he has only participated in exhibition bouts around the world.

The Filipino legend has brought in longtime head trainer Freddie Roach for his upcoming fight, and given what the two have accomplished during their legendary careers, there is no doubt that much will be expected of them.

I’M NOT DONE YET

#PacquiaoBarrios
July 19
MGM Grand Garden Arena
PBC PPV on Prime Video pic.twitter.com/uMdKL4RFQh

— Manny Pacquiao (@MannyPacquiao) June 1, 2025

The 46-year-old is currently training for the fight in Las Vegas with his team. In a recent interview with ESNEWS, Pacquiao’s strength and conditioning coach Justin Fortune gave his honest opinion on the Filipino’s condition and shared his thoughts on the upcoming blockbuster fight:

“Listen, on the mitts and bags—they don’t punch back—but he looks the same as he did six or seven years ago. He hasn’t missed a beat. Mario Barrios gets hit a lot, and Pacquiao is the last person you want to get hit a lot by. I think it’s a stoppage. It won’t go the distance,” Fortune stated.

Pacquiao has participated in 72 fights so far, winning 62 of them. A win against Barrios would give him his 13th welterweight title win and his first since capturing the World Boxing Organization (WBO) title in 2009, when he beat Hall of Famer Miguel Cotto via a 12th-round technical knockout.

Sean Gibbons, president of Manny Pacquiao MP Promotions, recently revealed that the 46-year-old is not planning to stop with the WBC welterweight title bout against Barrios and is targeting a “dream fight” against World Boxing Association (WBA) lightweight champion Gervonta Davis.

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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