Despite having been retired from the sport of boxing for several years now, with word that Manny Pacquiao will be returning to the ring to take his chances against WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios, the sanctioning body has officially re-entered Pacquiao into their rankings, slotting him in number five in the world.
This is really only relevant because the WBC rules state that its champions can only defend its titles against qualified challengers, so positioning Pacquiao as such is basically a necessary precursor for them sanctioning the Barrios fight.
Some might argue that such a move isn’t really fair to active fighters who have now been pushed down the ratings, but that’s just tough luck for them because their names don’t bring the WBC nearly as much money or notoriety as a living legend like Pacquiao — even if he is 46 years old and without a win since 2019.
Pacquiao will challenge Barrios for the WBC’s world welterweight title on July 19 in Las Vegas.
