Pacquiao or Barrios? Jesse Rodriguez Has No Doubt About the Favorite

WBC super flyweight champion Jesse Rodriguez believes Manny Pacquiao (62-8-2, 39 KOs) will lose in his comeback bout against Mario Barrios (29-2-1, 18 KOs) for the WBC welterweight title, scheduled for July 19 in the United States.

“I think Mario’s going to get in there and just beat Manny.

I think Manny’s gotten a little older. But he’s a legend — he already did what he had to do, so I don’t see the point in him coming back.

But if he wants to get in the ring with Mario, then Mario needs to show him that youth is on his side, and that Manny Pacquiao would’ve been better off staying retired,” Rodriguez told Fight Hub TV.

For the 46-year-old Filipino, this will be his first fight since 2021, when he lost by decision to Yordenis Ugas in a title bout.