Pacquiao, an eight-division world champion, last fought in 2021 when he lost to Yordenis Ugas. He's now older than George Foreman was when he won the heavyweight title in 1994. At the final press conference, Pacquiao said:
"Even with my layoff, my passion is still there. I want to give the fans what they want. I'm always bringing surprises."
Barrios, 29, got the WBC belt after Terence Crawford vacated it. He's had a mixed run lately, losing to Keith Thurman and Gervonta 'Tank' Davis, but beating Yordenis Ugas. His last fight ended in a draw when he defended his title for the first time.
The younger champ isn't taking Pacquiao lightly. Barrios said:
"Hats off to Pacquiao for daring to be great. But it's my time now. I'm not looking for the knockout, but I'm coming in with bad intentions."
Pacquiao doesn't mind being the underdog. He added:
"I'm OK being the underdog. I've been the underdog many times. We're going to show the world that boxing is still alive. Manny Pacquiao is still here."
The fight card also features a rematch between Sebastian Fundora and Tim Tszyu. Fundora will defend his WBC and WBO junior middleweight titles after winning their first brutal, blood-soaked encounter by split decision.
BetRivers has Barrios as the favorite at -275, with Pacquiao at +210. The big question is whether fans will see 'the old Pacquiao' or just an older version of the boxing legend.
Pacquiao faces some big challenges. He's been out of the ring for a long time, and he's giving up a lot in size. Barrios has a four-inch reach advantage and stands more than six inches taller. He's also got an active punching style that could cause problems.
Some experts think Barrios will win by TKO in the eighth round. They reckon he'll do enough damage to force a stoppage.
This fight will test whether Pacquiao's legendary skills can overcome Barrios' youth and size advantages. It's a clash that could add to Pacquiao's amazing legacy - or tarnish it.