Manny Pacquiao will come out of retirement to face Mario Barrios for the WBC welterweight championship on 19 July in Las Vegas, the 46-year-old Filipino boxer said on Wednesday.
Pacquiao is the only boxer to win world championships in a record eight weight divisions while he was also the oldest welterweight world champion in history at the age of 40 in 2019.
A Filipino senator from 2016 to 2022, Pacquiao had retired from boxing in 2021 while he also ran for president in 2022.
"I'm back. On 19 July, I return to the ring to face WBC Welterweight Champion Mario Barrios at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Let's make history," Pacquiao wrote on Instagram.
I’m back.
— Manny Pacquiao (@MannyPacquiao) May 21, 2025
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! #TeamPacquiao 🇵🇠pic.twitter.com/KEscQEims0
The southpaw, who has 62 wins, eight losses and two draws in a 72-fight career, was also elected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2025.
Barrios, a Mexican-American boxer, has 29 wins in 32 bouts, winning 18 by knockout and losing twice.