Fight to win

LOS ANGELES — Manny Pacquiao doesn’t know what the future holds.

Nowadays, Pacquiao is training at the Wild Card Boxing Club not sure whether next week’s clash with Mario Barrios in Las Vegas is going to be the last.

“One at a time,” Pacquiao said when asked about the future.

Though confident that he can get the job done and snatch the World Boxing Council welterweight crown at the MGM Grand, there is that uneasy feeling that the Barrios bout could be his last.

Why can it be the last?

Pacquiao is five months away from turning 47 while Barrios is sharp as a razor at 30.

Pacquiao, with all his achievements and accolades, has nothing to prove but everything to gain.

In contrast, Barrios has everything to lose because even if he beats Pacquiao, people would either belittle his victory or hate him for whupping an old man.

Still, Barrios knows the value of his opponent’s name that he is training as if the Pacquiao he will be facing on 19 July is the same as the guy who looked invincible against Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton and Miguel Cotto.

Meanwhile, Pacquiao is also not bothered by criticisms that he is simply too old to be bidding to win a world title.

The fight is not all about money.

It’s about something else.

It is about his passion and the pride of the country.

It is about proving that in boxing, reaching the age of 40 and above is not a death sentence, that a guy who is often labeled as a dinosaur in a young man’s sport could still dream.

Pacquiao has shown the past several weeks that he still boasts of speed and quickness, traits that would be vital in upsetting Barrios.

Coupled with power — said to be the last to leave an aging fighter — Pacquiao is gunning for another chance to truly make himself an immortal.

A win over Barrios would mean one thing: Postpone retirement.

A loss?

That’s going to be sad.