At 46 years old, the odds are against Manny Pacquiao in his upcoming fight against WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios. With a 16-year age gap, the pair is expected to lock horns on July 19th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. However, the Filipino boxing legend has even bigger ambitions for his return to the ring four years after retirement.

Pacquiao’s manager, Sean Gibbons, revealed in an interview some weeks ago that ‘PacMan’ intends to fight WBA lightweight champion Gervonta Davis after he is done with Barrios. “When he beats Mario Barrios, line them up. His dream fight is Gervonta Davis,” Gibbons said. However, former cruiserweight champion Tony Bellew is concerned, as he issued a dire warning about fighting Tank.

In a chat with BetIdeas recently, the 42-year-old claimed, “I’m worried for him.” He explained that he had read a report about Pacquiao’s intentions to challenge Davis, which he felt, “That’s not gonna end well at all.” Bellew seemed to have great praise for the Baltimore native and his boxing skills. “That kid’s a monster. When he’s on it, he’s a monster,” Bellew said.

Tank Davis is coming off a controversial majority draw against WBA super featherweight champion Lamont Roach Jr. They are scheduled to have their highly talked about rematch on August 16, 2025, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Regardless, Bellew feels it would be an uphill battle for Manny Pacquiao, noting, “For someone like Manny Pacquiao, I think it’s a crying shame, but he can’t leave it alone, each to their own.”

Despite his prediction, the Brit acknowledged that Pacquiao has “kept himself in good shape, so maybe he will actually be better than we realize he will be, have to wait and see.” Bellew concluded by warning Pacquiao: “Listen, there’s one thing that’s undefeated in the whole world, and that’s father time.”

On Sunday, ‘Pac-Man’ was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, New York. However, he went right back into training mode after the event, showcasing his dedication to his return. His last fight was against Yordenis Ugas in August 2021, which he lost, and he hasn’t won a fight since defeating Keith Thurman in a closely contested fight in 2019. 

Coming back to Pacquiao vs. Davis, not everyone shares Bellew’s take on the fight. 

Jeff Mayweather has a surprising verdict on the potential Manny Pacquiao vs. Gervonta Davis

Floyd Mayweather’s uncle, Jeff Mayweather, has an interesting take on a potential fight between Pacquiao and Davis. Even though ‘Pac-Man’ stayed on the sidelines for the last four years, Mayweather believes the 46-year-old has a shot at beating Gervonta Davis. “If Tank didn’t have that bad performance, I think everybody would have thought that he has zero chance,” Jeff told The Mayweather Channel.

“After that performance that ‘Tank’ had, believe me, a lot of people are going to say that Manny Pacquiao has a chance,” he added. He feels the Barrios fight will lead to a mega bout between Pacquiao and Davis. “I think he’s going to beat Barrios. And if he beats Barrios—might even be by knockout—‘Tank’ is in trouble too,” he added.

That being said, it’s not even fight week yet, but Manny Pacquiao is already stealing the spotlight with talks of a potential clash against Gervonta Davis. With experts divided on whether the boxing legend can handle Davis’ power and speed, the hype around this possible matchup is only growing louder. Do you think ‘Pac-Man’ can beat Davis?