Pacquiao, now 46 years old, will face off against the 29-year-old Barrios. The age gap between the two fighters stands at over 15 years. Pacquiao's last fight happened in 2021 when he lost to Yordenis Ugas.
Juan Manuel Marquez, Pacquiao's greatest rival, doesn't see this comeback in a positive light. He voiced his concerns to ProBox TV.
"After four years of inactivity, we'll see how he comes back. After that 2012 knockout he went on to fight and did quite well, beating great fighters. The one to blame is the organization, why do they put Pacquiao to fight for the world title after four years of inactivity? Where are the ranked fighters from 1 to 10, from 1 to 5? The organization is making a mistake, but letting a historic fighter fight is not an issue"
Marquez's criticism targets the WBC for giving Pacquiao a title shot despite his long break from the ring. He believes this decision overlooks more active contenders in the division.
Marquez and Pacquiao have a rich history. They've fought four times across three weight classes - featherweight, super featherweight, and welterweight. Pacquiao won two of these bouts, Marquez won one, and one ended in a draw.
The announcement of Pacquiao's return raises questions about potential future matchups. Will we see a fifth fight between Marquez and Pacquiao? Only time will tell if Marquez gets inspired to step back into the ring for another clash with his old rival.