Manny Pacquiao last won a professional boxing match on July 20th, 2019.
Fast-forward 2,124 days since that contested split decision win over Keith Thurman, and the now 46-year-old legend has been abruptly ranked fifth in the WBC’s welterweight rankings.
This decision, led by the WBC’s president Mauricio Sulaimán, is a precursor to what will surely follow — a world title tilt for the Filipino against the sanctioning body's current 147-pound king, Mario Barrios (29-2-1, 18 KOs). A man 17 years his junior, born after “PacMan” turned over into the paid ranks.
It has caused a cocktail of anger, confusion and disappointment within boxing’s constantly-challenged community.