Hall-of-Famer Sugar Ray Leonard knows a thing or two about long layoffs. He famously returned after five years to out-point Marvin Hagler at 30. Manny Pacquiao will attempt the same trick at 46 when he challenges WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios on 19 July in Las Vegas.
Leonard’s advice? Embrace the pain. “You’ve got to get used to being hit and training that hard at that level,” he told Fight Hub TV, adding that for Pacquiao, the battle will be “more physical than psychological” given his age and ring-wear.
Pacquiao’s camp has already relocated to Freddie Roach’s Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, where the eight-division legend is pounding through 10-round sparring with 20-something partners. Roach admits the task is “our toughest climb yet,” but insists the Filipino icon still flashes “two-and-three-punch blur” in drills. The fight itself was rubber-stamped by the WBC under the “former-champion comeback” rule and will headline a PBC/Prime Video PPV, Pacquiao’s first outing since losing to Yordenis Ugas in 2021.
Leonard drew parallels with his own comeback but stressed the differences. “I was 30; Manny’s 46,” he said. “At that age, everything you used to do instinctively, you now have to think about.” He believes Pacquiao’s hope rests on Barrios’ relative inexperience at elite level—yet the 29-year-old Texan is taller, fresher and unbeaten at welterweight.
The 68-year-old legend also weighed in on another size gamble: Terence Crawford’s leap from 154 lbs to face Canelo Álvarez for the 168-lb crown on 13 September. Leonard recalled how every punch from the bigger Donny Lalonde “hurt” when he fought at a catch-weight of 168/175 in 1988. “There’s always a way to win,” he said, “but Canelo’s natural strength is a real thing.”
So, two aging superstars, two giant leaps. Leonard’s bottom line for Pacquiao applies to Crawford as well: if you’re going to roll the dice against size, speed and Father Time, be ready to feel leather - and have a plan when it lands.
Who will win - Barrios or Pacquiao? Vote for the best fighter.
Image Credit: DAZN