LAS VEGAS – Mario Barrios is expected to earn the biggest purse of his fight career by taking on boxing legend Manny Pacquiao.
But even then, just sharing the same ring with the Hall of Famer and boxing’s only eighth-time world division champion is already a huge reward gained by the 30-year-old native of San Antonio.
“To be in a fight with Manny Pacquiao, win, lose, or draw, we already won,” acknowledged Barrios’ trainer Bob Santos.
“Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Robinson, Julio Cesar Chavez, Manny Pacquiao, the greatest fighters in the history of the sport.”
READ: Manny Pacquiao on eve of title fight vs Mario Barrios: 'I'm back'
For staking his World Boxing Council welterweight crown Saturday against Pacquiao at the MGM Grand, the reigning champion will reportedly take home a guaranteed purse of $1 million.
Barrios returns to MGM Grand after a decade
This also serves as the first fight he headlines at MGM Grand, where his first and only previous appearance came during his eighth fight as a pro came back in 2015 in a third round TKO of Justin Lopez.
“It’s huge. I couldn’t have asked for a bigger event to showcase my talent, my abilities,” acknowledged the 30-year-old Barrios (29-2-1, 18 KOs).
Of course, it comes with a price, as the Mexican-American champion will be against one of the greatest fighters of all time who is on a comeback trail at the age of 46.
“That’s where we’re at a disadvantage because Manny has close to 70 fights, so he has so much experience that he can fight you in a plethora of different ways,” said Santos, a one-time Trainer of the Year.
“That’s the challenge.”
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