Manny Pacquiao has jumped to the WBC’s No. 1 spot at welterweight following last month’s majority draw with titleholder Mario Barrios. The 46-year-old Hall of Famer went round-for-round with the champion on July 19, with two cards at 114–114 and a third 115–113 for Barrios.
It’s a rapid climb for a legend who only announced his return from retirement earlier this year. Pacquiao briefly appeared at No. 5 in May before dropping out of the June and July lists. Now he’s back on top of the rankings queue, supplanting previous No. 1 Souleymane Cissokho, who outpointed Egidijus Kavaliauskas in May.
Watch Pacquiao vs. Barrios highlights: Watch
Pacquiao hardly needs a lofty rating to land big fights - his name does plenty of heavy lifting - but being No. 1 clarifies the WBC picture. All a challenger needs is a top-15 slot to be eligible for a title shot; Pacquiao’s placement leaves little ambiguity about where he stands.
What’s next isn’t yet announced: a Barrios rematch is an obvious play, but other pairings remain in the mix. After returning to formal competition for the first time since his 2021 loss to Yordenis Ugas, Pacquiao has put himself right back where he lives - on the doorstep of another world-title night.
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