Mr. Pure Energy

Regardless where he’s training, Manny Pacquiao is always joined by a bevy of young fighters, many of them belonging to his promotional outfit.

And every time the going gets tough, he asks them the same old question: You guys okay?

At 46, Pacquiao remains a bundle of pure energy.

When he is not training, he plays several games of basketball. And when he gets the itch for some boxing, he gets dressed and shadow boxes, and sometimes hits the bag, too.

No wonder Pacquiao there has never been a photo of Pacquiao looking out-of-shape.

When he is with boxers half his age, he stays in the lead pack, showing them what he’s made of.

And it is this seemingly youthful vibe that makes the eight-division legend feel that he is going to become only the third fighter in history to be crowned champion above 45 after Bernard Hopkins and George Foreman.

Pacquiao battles not just Barrios, just 30 years old, but also Father Time in a scheduled 12-rounder at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on 19 July.

Despite the glaring difference in age, Pacquiao insists that he can negate that because he’s always been fit all the time and that whenever he starts training, he gives his 100 percent every single time.

“When you are returning to fight, you can’t afford to be just 50 percent. No, you can’t. You have to be 100 percent. If you can’t do 100 percent, why bother returning to the ring?”

Four years after his retirement, Pacquiao is back in the saddle, tasked to dethrone a heavily-favored foe, someone ringsiders fear could inflict so much pain and punishment that the Filipino icon could end up looking like Muhammad Ali against Larry Holmes in 1980 and once again, this time opposite Trevor Berbick in 1981.

“I feel very good,” said Pacquiao, who lost to Yordenis Ugas, a late replacement from Cuba, in his last professional outing in August 2021.

Even those around him since training camp began in the third week of May have been left amazed by the efforts being exhibited by Pacquiao, whose best-known exploits came when he was the clear underdog.

One insightful view came from Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., son of the Mexican legend who goes by the same name.

“Pacquiao? He is not a regular guy,” he said.

And this is the main reason why there are those who believe that the WBC 147-pound throne is going to change hands next week.