Manny Pacquiao Endorsed By The WBC For A Welterweight World Title
Filipino Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao is coming out of retirement! The boxer had announced his retirement in 2021 after losing his last match by unanimous decision to Yordenis Ugas. WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman has paved the way for the boxer to return to the world championship stage, saying that Manny Pacquiao is timeless and a legend. He has a professional record of 62–8–2, with 39 wins by knockout and was ranked number 1 in DAZN's list of the top 10 boxers of the last 30 years in 2021.
"We have great precedent of former champions coming back as long as they pass successfully all the medical examinations,” said Sulaiman in media reports.
"As a former champion and as a legend, he does have the possibility of fighting for the WBC championship," he added.
The WBC welterweight world title is currently vacant as Terence Crawford, the previous champion, moved up to a higher weight class. There have been talks of Manny Pacquiao getting a shot at the title with a potential championship bout against Mario Barrios.
"We're still in under negotiation," Pacquiao said about the possible match. "And, we're talking about that. The fight has not materialized yet. But that negotiation is ongoing."
"But to have him return to the WBC more than two decades after he won his first world championship, which was the WBC flyweight title and then go all the way to welterweight in 2024 would be sensational," conceded Sulaiman.
The potential match comes in the wake of a recent favourable ruling for Pacquiao’s civil lawsuit verdict in relation to Paradigm Sports Management (PSM) which was reversed by a Californian court. The sports agency had filed a breach of contract lawsuit against Pacquiao and sought to "recoup a $3.3 million advance."
JUDY ROTICH