Pacquiao stepped away from pro boxing in the summer of 2021 after losing to Yordenis Ugas, who held the WBA welterweight title at the time. Since then, he's kept busy with a couple of exhibition matches against mixed martial artists DK Yoo in 2022 and Rukiya Anpo earlier this year.
Juan Manuel Marquez, who fought Pacquiao four times between 1993 and 2014, has high praise for the returning fighter. In an interview with The Ring Magazine, Marquez said:
"Pacquiao: In all the fights I had, nobody hit me harder than him."
Marquez pointed out Pacquiao's strengths, saying he could take a punch well and come back even stronger. He also noted that Pacquiao was hard to hit cleanly due to his good guard and ability to close his defense.
"Without doubt, the best pound-for-pound of his time and I faced him at his best."
The Mexican fighter explained that Pacquiao's power came from his hips, which he moved a lot when fighting. To counter this, Marquez had to rely on his speed.
If Pacquiao wins against Barrios, he'll become the oldest welterweight champion ever. There's talk that he might then look to fight lightweight star Gervonta Davis.
As Pacquiao gears up for his return, all eyes will be on Las Vegas to see if the Filipino legend can recapture his old magic against the current WBC world welterweight champion, Barrios.