My comeback was not about winning or losing; it was about the feeling of being able to compete at top level again.
— Austrian former tennis player Thomas Muster

MAYPAJO, Caloocan City — The hard grind of preparing for a world title fight for a 46-year-old legend has tapered off and that it's finally over, Filipino boxing icon Emmanuel 'Manny' Pacquiao is looking forward to find out if his serious training after a four-year hiatus would pay off and give him the distinct honor of being the oldest world welterweight champion in boxing history.
For boxing fans and supporters of the People's Champ, whether he succeeded in doing so, again, remains to be seen, but most believe he still has it to prove he is still the best in what he loves, facing a 30-year-old opponent in the person of World Boxing Council (WBC) title holder Mario Barrios, who has been nicknamed as El Azteca.
Pacquiao is confident, though, that he has done enough in the past four weeks or so to scrape off rust brought by several years of inactivity.
While boxing aficionados are divided in opinion regarding Pacquiao's return, the legendary eight division world champion and former pound-for-pound king is out to accomplish the unbelievable as he squares off against Barrios and tries to wrest the crown from the Mexican-American this Saturday (Sunday morning, Manila time) July 19, at MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
In Pac-Man's corner is his former two-time opponent Marco Antonio Barrera, who had remarked that he would be sad to see Manny lose: "We have to remember: Mario Barrios was the one who beat and retired Ugas. Ugas was the one who beat Pacquiao."
Barrera added: "If he feels he has the abilities, the reflexes, to be able to step into the ring at 46 [then] let him prove himself.
"No one has the answer but yourself because you know what you are made of and how far your body can go."
So, basing on what he says, the truth behind Manny Pacquiao's comeback is that it is not really a fight with a younger foe but actually a personal battle against himself.
But overall, Pac-Man's return to the ring will be truly a very interesting fight because our champion is a battle-tested warrior in the boxing arena and as an eight-time world champion, he's going to give it his all.
And quoting from Barrera, he says, "He (Pacquiao) likes to put on a show, like Mario Barrios who knocked Maidana's brother to the canvas. This suggests that it's going to be a showdown, a fight of great warriors."
Still, we agree that amidst the hype and hullabaloo, "most importantly (is that) the real winners will be the fans."

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