Before his comeback fight announcement, Manny Pacquiao was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF). As one of the biggest names in boxing in the 21st century, the Filipino athlete boasts an impressive record in the sport, with 62 wins from 72 fights, with a legacy as the only ever eight-weight world champion.
He has never shied away from a challenge and, as a result, has fought some of the biggest names in the sport, including a historic fight with Floyd Mayweather in 2015, which drew a record 4.6 million pay-per-view (PPV) buys.
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His status and popularity, particularly in Southeast Asia, has enabled him to forge an impressive career outside of sport. In the Philippines, Pacquiao has run for national presidency (2022), played professional basketball, appeared in movies, and released three studio music albums.
In September 2021, Pacquiao announced his retirement from the sport, one month after his unanimous world championship title defeat to Cuban rival, Yordenis Ugas. At 46 years of age, Pacquiao has shocked the world again by returning to the sport.
In Mario Barrios, Pacquiao is challenging a man in the prime of his career, 30 years of age, with just two defeats and a victory over Pacquiao’s most recent loss (Ugas) in 2023. Despite his four-year inactivity, the WBC has placed Pacquiao at number five in their world welterweight rankings and offered him another world title shot.
There is little to show by way of sporting merit that Pacquiao deserves a shot at a world title in 2025. Boxing remains a sport built on entertainment, and its biggest stars are the easiest way of drawing fans in.
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By GlobalDataFor WBC president, Mauricio Sulaiman, the return of a global name is guaranteed to generate a big payday and build strong hype for a WBC fight. Governing bodies such as the WBC make money on their sanction fees, which typically stand at around 3% of a boxer’s fight purse.
A fight purse with Pacquiao will deliver more for the WBC and Barrios than any other name in the WBC rankings. With millions set to be generated from the fight through PPV and ticket sales revenue, this purse will be worth millions.
At his peak in 2015, Pacquiao’s fight with Floyd Mayweather earned him more than $125 million [2]; this would equate to $3.75 million in sanction fees with the WBC alone. Estimates for his most recent fight with Ugas in 2021 put PPV buys at 250,000, which would put the combined fight purse at a minimum of $18.75 million.
Boxing loves its superstars, and Manny Pacquiao is one of its biggest. It may not be the fight anyone was asking for, but it remains a fight that fans will buy into. The fractured nature of the sport means governing bodies and promoters in boxing only look out for themselves and want to maximize potential revenue for all affiliated fights.
They chase the money rather than explore the best options for the best spectacles to give fans. The WBC has turned to a retired star rather than pursue competitive fights across the rest of its rankings.
Despite the welterweight division including exciting names such as Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn, putting Barrios, its champion, against Pacquiao is still the preferred option and financially most lucrative.
The fight will be available for purchase on Prime Video, as per Amazon’s big move into the boxing media rights landscape in 2024, through its multi-year deal with Premier Boxing Champions.
