Overview

• Pacquiao will challenge WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios on July 19 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas after a four-year hiatus.
• He reunited with longtime coach Freddie Roach at Wild Card gym and reports regained hand speed and endurance despite longer recovery times.
• The Filipino icon says his extended rest has restored his hunger for big fights and that he feels physically capable of competing at a high level.
• British promoter Eddie Hearn and other observers warn that Barrios’s youth and strength could present a daunting test for the returning veteran.
• Pacquiao says he will take opponents one fight at a time and indicated legal hurdles likely rule out Conor McGregor while Floyd Mayweather remains unlikely to return from retirement.