No One Can Pretend They Didn’t See This Coming
Let’s get one thing straight — Manny Pacquiao’s comeback in 2025 wasn’t a surprise to anyone paying attention. It didn’t come out of nowhere. The fight was signed, sanctioned, and promoted as a serious world title bout. And if you were following CMBoxing, you knew it was coming long before the first bell.
I already wrote about the risks, the optics, and what it meant for boxing when a man aged 46 was being lined up for a world title shot. And now that the fight has taken place — and ended in a majority draw — the conversation has only become more urgent.
Here’s what I said before the fight:
Why Pacquiao’s 2025 title shot was always a gamble
The comeback fight – full breakdown
A 46-Year-Old Just Went Twelve Rounds for a WBC Title — and Didn’t Lose
This was no farewell exhibition. Manny Pacquiao, at 46 years old, returned after nearly four years out and went twelve rounds with Mario Barrios for the WBC welterweight world title. Not only did he go the distance — he earned a draw.
That result alone is astonishing. But the real story isn’t just the scorecards. It’s the fact that he was able to compete at this level in the first place.
What does it say about the state of the welterweight division in 2025 when a 46-year-old man can step back in, after years of inactivity, and hold his own in a world title fight?
Is This the Division’s Rock Bottom?
Let’s not pretend welterweight is thriving. This was once boxing’s glamour division — filled with killers, elite matchups, and genuine rivalries. Mayweather. Pacquiao (in his prime). Thurman. Porter. Bradley. Brook. Spence and Crawford on the rise.
Now? You’re lucky if the belts move at all, and half the top names are either inactive or missing in action. When Mario Barrios is the one holding a WBC title and barely squeaks out a draw with a 46-year-old returnee, something’s gone badly wrong.
Pacquiao deserves respect for the shape he came in. But this fight shouldn’t have been possible — not if the sport had any sort of consistent meritocracy left at 147.
Sanctioning Nostalgia, Not Merit
Let’s call the WBC out here. They sanctioned this fight as a full world title bout because it sold. Not because it made sense for the division. Not because Pacquiao earned a shot based on form or rankings. But because his name still brings eyes, clicks, and sanctioning fees.
It’s becoming a theme. Let the legends back in, give them a shot, and hope no one notices that the rankings are being ignored entirely.
Yes, Pacquiao passed all the necessary checks. But boxing isn’t just about passing medicals. It’s about competition — and allowing a 46-year-old to jump the queue and challenge for a belt is, frankly, a joke.
Should He Go Again?
This is the uncomfortable part. Because by holding Barrios to a draw, Pacquiao hasn’t shut the door on anything — he’s kicked it open. A rematch is now a marketable option. Another belt shot wouldn’t even be surprising at this point.
But just because he can fight again doesn’t mean he should.
Manny Pacquiao is already a legend. Eight-weight world champion. All-time great. Nothing he does at 46 is going to improve that legacy. But another bad loss, or worse, a brutal knockout, could taint it.
The longer he stays in this game, the more he risks becoming a shadow of what he was — and boxing doesn’t need another Holyfield moment.
The Real Problem Is the System That Allows This
The issue isn’t that Manny Pacquiao fought again. It’s that boxing allowed it to be a WBC title fight — and treated it like a legitimate championship contest in 2025.
If the sport had a healthy, active, competitive welterweight division, this would’ve been a curiosity at best. A non-title farewell. Instead, it became the biggest fight in the division this year. That should worry everyone.
Boxing needs to stop leaning on legends to prop up broken structures. Pacquiao did what he always does — showed up in shape, gave it everything, and left it all in the ring. The question is why he was even needed in the first place.
What’s Your Take?
Was the Manny Pacquiao comeback 2025 a feel-good moment or a red flag for the sport? Should he fight again? And what does it say about the WBC, the division, and boxing as a whole that a 46-year-old can still headline a world title fight?
Leave a comment, pass this around to your mates, and head over to CMBoxing.co.uk for more blunt, honest takes that cut through the hype.