Sugar Ray Leonard has summed up Manny Pacquiao’s chances against Mario Barrios after the Filipino boxing icon announced his shock return to the ring.
The five-weight world champion has commented on Pacquiao’s chances, as well as predicting whether or not ‘Pac Man’ can roll back the years and record a monumental victory.
Sugar Ray Leonard Comments On Manny Pacquiao’s Shock Return
Sugar Ray Leonard is one of the most popular and legendary boxers in the history of the sport.
Not only was the American an extremely talented fighter, he was also one of the most popular. Leonard retired with a professional boxing record of 36-3-1, which including winning world titles in five different weight division.
Leonard was of course part of the famous ‘Four Kings’, which created a wave of popularity that kept boxing relevant and in the mainstream in the post-Muhammad Ali era.
Now at 69-years-old, Leonard has been retired for almost 30 years having had his last fight in 1997. He still attends some of the biggest fights in America and even recently in Saudi Arabia, and has offered some advice to Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao.
Pacquiao announced his shock return to the ring earlier in May. ‘Pac Man’ was installed at no.5 in the WBC welterweight rankings, and has since been granted a shot at the full WBC World Welterweight Title in just a couple months time.
Despite his four year absence and having not won a fight since July 2019, Pacquiao has been granted a world title shot straight away against the champion Mario Barrios. The pair will square off in the ring on July 19 in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand.
Ahead of the Barrios vs Pacquiao fight, Sugar Ray Leonard has weighed-in with his thoughts and has offered some simple advice to the Filipino fighter ahead of his ring return.
Does Sugar Ray Leonard Believe Pacquiao Can Beat Barrios?
Sugar Ray Leonard is a boxing Hall of Fame inductee, so his opinion is cherished when it comes to the sweet science.
In a recent interview with Fight Hub TV, the former five-division world champion gave an honest assessment of Manny Pacquiao’s chances against Mario Barrios after announcing his shock return to the ring.
Leonard has admitted that the psychological side could play more of a factor than the actual physical side. That being said, the American certainly isn’t ruling out a shock win for Pacquiao as he rolls back the years. ‘Maybe he can do it’, Leonard said.
“When I came back I didn’t realise it was five years I’ve been out of the ring. You got to get used to being hit, you got to get used to training that hard at that level. It’s a lot of things. It’s more mental, more psychological that it is physical. You have to have that heart, have that feeling, and you know what?
“Maybe he can do it. Maybe he knows the right things to do,” summarised Leonard.
If Manny Pacquiao’s next fight does result in a shock victory against Mario Barrios, he would write his name into the boxing history books even further. However, it seems like this could be a step too far for ‘Pac Man’ as he approaches his 47th birthday.
Pacquiao has given so much to the sport and his legacy is forever assured. Can he produce one more memorable night and capture the WBC World Welterweight Title on July 19 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas? Sugar Ray Leonard certainly isn’t ruling it out.
