Boxing great Manny Pacquiao is coming out of retirement to fight Mario Barrios for the WBC welterweight crown in July.

The former eight-division champion was unsuccessful in his bid for a second run as a senator, conceding the race Wednesday night. The 2025 Philippine Election ended with Pacquiao well outside the top 12 slots to fill the available seats. He placed 18th overall, with 10,208,499 votes as a representative of the Federal Party of the Philippines.

The announcement of 46-year-old Manny Pacquiao coming out of retirement to fight reigning WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios at some point later this summer has been met with a ton of criticism from fans and media pundits alike.