by Manny Pacquiao said on Wednesday that his lengthy discharge from boxing had lit his passion for sport again when he was preparing for the World Welterweight title in the world weight against Mario Barrios next month.
The 46-year-old Filipino box icon faces Las Vegas on July 19, four years after his last fight, in Las Vegas in Las Vegas, four years after the end of his last fight.
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Pacquiao reunited with the long-time experienced coach Freddie Roach for the title Tilt next month and spoke to journalists on Wednesday when he trained in the Hall of Famer Fitness Studio in the Wild Card Gym in Hollywood.
“Four years rest for me well,” said Pacquiao, after showing an impressive hand speed in a session with open pads.
“I’ve been in boxing for so many decades, so it is good that my body is resting for four years.
“Now I’m back, I’m hungry to fight again. I am hungry to fight in a big fight like this. To work hard, to have discipline, everything.”
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“I missed the boxing. I feel like the passion, the fire in my eyes, works hard – it’s still there.”
Pacquiao said, while his recovery times were now a little longer, he had not returned to his physical condition.
“I’m quick, I can move as I did before. I can run with the young boxers in the mountains, so I’m happy,” he said.
“I enjoy this training camp. There are a few adjustments for physical recovery. We have to control the body, give my body time to rest and relax.”
Pacquiao, who won in eight different weight classes in eight different weight classes during a glittering professional career in 1995, refused to settle whether his comeback would be “one” next month and only the first step of a full return to sport.
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“It’s hard to say,” he said when he was asked about future fights. “Now I’m back after another, after this fight we can plan what we want.”
For some in boxing, however, Pacquiao’s return to the ring is an unnecessary risk.
The British promoter Eddie Hearn was the latest doubt about the wisdom of the comeback of the Filipino Comack at the beginning of this month and said that 30-year-old Barrios will be “too young and too strong” for Pacquiao.
Pacquiao smiled on Wednesday when he asked for his answer to Hearn’s statements.
“Just watch on July 19,” he said. “It will be a good fight.”
RCW/BB
