Warning shot

Mario Barrios is going into his title defense against Manny Pacquiao on 19 July in Las Vegas as if he is facing the same guy who left a trail of broken bones and battered bodies in his run-up to a well-deserved spot in the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

“Manny’s still Manny. He’s a legend for a reason. I am preparing as if I am fighting Manny in his prime,” Barrios told the San Antonio Express News, his hometown paper, the same publication that widely reported Pacquiao’s epic knockout win over Marco Antonio Barrera almost 21 years ago at the Alamodome.

By doing so, Barrios swears he won’t pull his punches in his defense of the World Boxing Council welterweight crown in their scheduled 12-rounder at the MGM Grand.

“I think I need to go in there and be myself. Need to neutralize what he tries to do and I need to make him feel his age. He’s got the fastest hands and feet in the sport but you know timing always beats speed and I feel like I always have great timing and great boxing ability,” Barrios, 30 and younger by 16 years, said in a promotional video.

Asked by interviewer Sean Porter, who used to spar with Pacquiao, whether he felt slighted that the Filipino’s people saw him as tailor-made for the eight-division legend, Barrios just shrugged it off and turned serious.

“They’re going to be in for a rude awakening on fight night.”

Holding a 29-2-1 win-loss-draw record with 18 knockouts, Barrios doesn’t only enjoy being the younger and fresher guy.

He also holds a six-inch height advantage.

Combined with the age factor, Barrios is the oddsmakers’ favorite.

But there are those who are not counting Pacquiao out.

Given his solid track record, there are several personages who feel that Pacquiao is capable of pulling it off and becoming the oldest world welterweight champion in history and the third oldest world champion ever.

Among those who have expressed these sentiments are Oscar De La Hoya and top trainer Robert Garcia.

But most fear for Pacquiao’s safety because of his age and his prolonged inactivity, almost four years by the time he answers the bell next month against Barrios, who didn’t bat an eyelash in making a prediction.

“Only prediction I have is me going back to San Antonio still holding that title.”

Meanwhile, Pacquiao is not skipping a beat in his training for this much-awaited comeback.

Since arriving in Los Angeles, Pacquiao has religiously showed up at the gym, looking and feeling confident every time he reports for training.