The rave reviews continue to pour in for comebacking Filipino legend Manny Pacquiao, who is less than two weeks away from his grand plan of gaining widespread acclaim at age 46.
“He is laser-focused,” reported David Sisson, one of Pacquiao’s top aides from Los Angeles where the eight-division champion is tapering off in time for the 19 July clash encounter with Mario Barrios at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Barrios’ World Boxing Council welterweight crown will be on the line but more than the title, Pacquiao is aiming for a bigger feat: Becoming one of the oldest world champions ever.
Since kicking off training camp in the third week of May, Pacquiao has wisely managed his workout schedule without cutting corners.
Instead of looking at the long layover as a minus, Sisson feels the “good rest and recovery have been a huge help in this training camp.”
Even Pacquiao, who turned professional almost three decades ago, maintains the four-year inactivity has made him stronger and even more driven to succeed.
Barrios, 30, enjoys not just youth but an eye-popping six-inch advantage in height at six feet tall, plus points that have convinced oddsmakers to install him as the clear favorite in the scheduled 12-rounder.
But Pacquiao is unfazed, pointing to his epic victory over Keith Thurman in 2019 as evidence that it is not impossible to beat a young and fresh foe like Barrios.
“Thurman was young and unbeaten but I beat him,” said Pacquiao, who is also eyeing to become the first Hall of Famer to win a world title.
While not a lot of people are convinced that he will step up to the plate once again, Pacquiao and his entourage are looking at the night of the fight as coronation night and the Grand Garden Arena as the venue of another landmark win.
The Barrios fight will be Pacquiao’s 16th appearance at the MGM Grand where he has logged a 10-4-1 record with four knockouts since making his debut there in June 20021.