Two months from now, a boxing legend will end his four-year-long retirement to face a reigning world champion. Yes, we’re talking about Manny Pacquiao. Boxing’s only eight-division champion is all set to return on July 19. Following a retirement that commenced after the unanimous decision loss to Yordenis Ugas, the ‘PacMan’ will face WBC welterweight titleholder Mario Barrios in Las Vegas.

Talks of Pacquiao’s comeback always lingered. But now that it’s almost confirmed, the news encountered a mixed bag of reactions. The sport just saw a 58-year-old Mike Tyson take on Jake Paul. And the response hadn’t been the most encouraging either. Of course, Pacquiao won’t be the first boxer who returned from retirement to run what’s possibly the last stretch of the race. Those who know him closely are quite ecstatic. Justin Fortune had been a strength and conditioning coach to Pacquiao for close to 60 championships. During an interaction with sports reporter Eli Seckbach, the Australia-born fitness coach who famously fought Lennox Lewis spilled a few beans.

Manny Pacquiao: He’s still the same beast

Seckbach caught up with Fortune and lightweight fighter Giovanni Cabrera during a downtime. He asked, “What do you guys think of him (Pacquiao) and Barrios? ESPN says it’s official.” Fortune had no doubts. To him, Manny Pacquiao’s most famous attributes, power and speed, were still intact. Acknowledging Barrios’ stature as a world champion, Fortune admitted, “Yeah, it’s a good fight.” He also pointed out that Barrios shared Cabrera’s height, which is around 5’9″. But in the same breath, he added, “Pacquiao’s still strong, fast, and very experienced.”

Giovanni Cabrera made his pitch: “Yeah, I mean, most orthodox fighters, it doesn’t matter who you are or how old you are, it’s all about the angle. When Manny Pacquiao slips and pops that left hand, deal with that, deal with that…. If George Foreman did it, then Pacquiao can do it.” Though he’s already one of the greatest, both Fortune and Cabrera agreed that a win over Barrios, who defeated Yordenis Ugas, would ‘solidify’ Pacquiao’s status in the sport’s history.

They would rather see him challenge Teofimo Lopez afterwards. Reportedly, Rolando Romero has also expressed interest in fighting Pacquiao. But the Fortune-Cabrera combine had no doubts: “It doesn’t matter; none of those guys can beat Manny.”

But keep an eye on the champion!

However, the optimism is not so prevalent either. Former world champion Amir Khan had sparred with Mario Barrios. His advice to the PacMan: be careful. Firstly, Barrios is young. He’s just a week short of turning thirty. While he found the Pacquiao-Barrios matchup intriguing, he warned, “When me and Virgil [Hunter] were training together, I used to spar with him (Barrios) quite a lot. He’s a very good boxer. I don’t know how much Manny’s got left in him. If they were in their prime, in their peak, then I’d say all day Manny Pacquiao. But this could be a tricky fight for Pacquiao.”

To a few, Mario Barrios is an e-mail champion. He received the welterweight title after Terence Crawford decided to move up a division. His first title defense, against Abel Ramos on the Tyson-Paul card, was a tightly contested affair. But the fact remains: it’s been four years since Manny Pacquiao stepped into the professional ring. His exhibition fight against Rukiya Anpo wasn’t a pleasant sight. So it remains to be seen how the boxing great would be able to turn the table in July.

What’s your take? Do you think Pacquiao should stay retired?