Manny Pacquiao aiming to make history by taking Bernard Hopkins’ 11-year-old boxing record

Just blocks from the Wild Card Gym, Hollywood hums with cameras, chaos, and the eternal promise of picture-perfect endings. Manny Pacquiao feels it. That energy—the pull of the silver screen and the ghosts of legends past—is why training here, at the age of 46, carries weight beyond conditioning. His comeback isn’t just crafted steps from the most iconic studios in the world—it’s shaping into a script that could add one final, cinematic flourish to his storied career: retiring as a world champion.

But not just any champion. The Filipino icon has his sights set on dethroning a record held by Bernard Hopkins, who in 2014 became the oldest fighter to win a world title at age 49. Pacquiao’s plan? Break that mark sooner, and do it in dramatic fashion: on July 19 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, he’ll face WBC welterweight champ Mario Barrios.

If he wins, Pacquiao won’t just secure another belt—he’ll become the first active Hall of Famer to capture a world title. A fitting final scene for a career that has always blended grit and greatness with a dash of Hollywood sparkle.

Pacquiao keeps the fire burning: one fight at a time

“I think I’ve got two or three fights left in me. I feel like I could do this for a couple more years. But I’m taking it one fight at a time,” Pacquiao told The Ring Magazine.

Boxing isn’t shot in multiple angles. There’s no post-editing, no retakes. You get one shot—one night under the lights—and it’s all real.

The people’s champ still packs a punch

While the boxing world is surging with fresh energy—this weekend brings the first-ever women’s main event in Madison Square Garden history, Shakur Stevenson’s title defense against William Zepeda, and a spotlight bout starring Édgar Berlanga—Manny Pacquiao’s name still echoes loud and clear.

At 46, he’s no longer the young buck—but the fire in his eyes hasn’t dimmed. He’s training with the intensity of a fighter half his age, ready to step into the ring against younger opponents and chase one last defining moment.

Pacquiao isn’t walking into this bout as the betting favorite. Oddsmakers have pegged San Antonio native Mario Barrios at -370, making him the clear frontrunner. At 30, Barrios is 16 years younger, stands nearly six inches taller, and arrives at the peak of his physical prime.

Still, Pacquiao isn’t fazed. The Filipino icon insists that his body feels rejuvenated after stepping away from the ring—and he’s ready to prove it.

“When I stepped away in 2021, it wasn’t because I lacked the desire—it was just circumstances. Now I’m back. And I feel good. Really good.”

That’s how Manny Pacquiao wraps up his latest training session, side by side with his lifelong friend Buboy Fernández and under the watchful eye of legendary trainer Freddie Roach.

His life story is the stuff of epic cinema: from going hungry on the streets of Manila to serving in the Philippine Senate. From stunning Oscar De La Hoya to waging iconic wars with Juan Manuel Márquez and other elite fighters. An eight-division world champion, a global symbol, a continental idol. And yet, his 2021 loss to Yordenis Ugás left an image that lingered—a chapter he never intended as his final act.

Now, like Sugar Ray Leonard—who recently stopped by Wild Card to wish him well—Pacquiao is reclaiming the ending. No one gets to tell Manny how it all finishes. He’s writing the script himself.

“The difference is being 100 percent or not. I wouldn’t come back if I didn’t feel that way,” Pacquiao says with quiet conviction.

Pacquiao to bow out in style

The gym where he’s building his return is the same hallowed ground where he shaped his legacy across two decades. These days, the silver hairs and wrinkles mark time—but inside those walls, he still feels like the same Manny.

“My family sees me doing well. God is good. I’m here by His mercy.”

It’s a comeback fueled not by fame or fortune—but by purpose. The question now isn’t whether Pacquiao believes in himself. It’s whether that belief, that renewed strength, will be enough to withstand Mario Barrios’s hunger, drive, and youthful fire.

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