Speaker 1: What is my distinct pleasure to be joined on the
podcast this week by the legendary eighth division worlds champion,
Hall of famer, the great Many pack Out and Manny.
I didn't expect to be doing another interview with you
prior to a fight, but you have decided to exit
your retirement after four years. You are back in the
United States to take on Mario Barrios, the challenging for
the WBC welth theweight world title, to take place July nineteenth,
alive on Prime Video, pay per view and PPV dot Com.
Pretty much your second home, the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
So thank you so much for doing this, Many, and
I guess welcome back.
Speaker 2: To thank you for this fortunate and I'm bout you're back.
Speaker 1: So I guess the first question. I know you've been
asked this since you've made this decision, as you've gone
through the training camp and been preparing for the fight,
But this simple question is what was your motivation and
why did you decide to exit your retirement come back
to the boxing ring.
Speaker 2: Okay, So I think it's because of my passion, my
passion of boxing and I still have that fire in
my in my heart, in my mind, my eyes, to
work hard and excuse to work hard and discipline.
Speaker 3: I love.
Speaker 2: I missed those days that you know, during trainingcome promoting
the fight like that, like this interview with media like that.
Speaker 4: So I missed those days.
Speaker 1: There are some people that and I understand what you're saying.
You know, it's hard to give up, I guess. But
some have suggested that it's financially motivated, that many Pack
needs the money and he's only coming out of the
retirement because he wants to get a big paycheck. Can
you address that? Is that true? I'm sure that money's
part of it, but I don't know if I believe
it's the whole part of it.
Speaker 4: I'm just selling this. Like the first motivation is like,
I want to be a champion again. I wanted.
Speaker 1: Eight times, wasn't enough.
Speaker 2: No, I want to break my record like the oldest.
Speaker 1: Well they been you've already been the oldest welterweight champion.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I want to break my own record and also
uh uh to put a new record for being ah
after Hall of Fame inductee Allardy.
Speaker 1: So so that that's my next That was my next question.
First of all, congratulations on your Hall of Fame induction,
it was my my great pleasure to vote for you. Uh.
There there have been there have been a few fighters
who have been inducted into the Hall of Fame who
have then later decided to come back and fight Sugary
Leonard as a great example for one, and there are others.
But it has never happened where a person has been
inducted into the Hall of Fame and before they even
had their induction already had another fight schedule. So when
you were doing the ceremony, which is supposed to sort
of be the end of the road for boxing where
you look back on a wonderful career and uh and
uh give your memories and recollections of that, you did that,
but you're also preparing for the fight. So did you
really have sort of uh the the the chances to
truly enjoy the whole taking everything about the Hall of
Fame because you still had to get back to training
camp for another boxing match.
Speaker 2: I'm enjoying it of being inductive of Hall of Fame
like a big prestige and man, big owner. And also
it gives me more inspiration determination to work hard and
doing the championship again because they that's I think nobody, nobody.
Speaker 4: Want uh world.
Speaker 2: Title after the induction, after the redaction of Hall of Fame.
Speaker 1: That is that is true guys that have come back, but
I don't think anybody has actually one title. So that's
a good point. Do you when you decide to make
this uh, this return, did you really I mean I
know you want you said the opportunity to become a
champion again. Do you though view it as a one
fight comeback or might you continue on after this depending
on how things go on July nineteenth.
Speaker 2: I gonna say more fight, but one at a time.
What I'm doing right now is like one one, one
at a time, like you know when you go right
and I was like, I want, I want to be
a chime one again.
Speaker 1: When you came from the Philippines back to California to
go return to the Wildcard, uh and you got there
and I talked to them, like you know fred Sternberg,
your longtime publicist, and Sean Gibbons who works with you
at MP Promotions, and your right hand man that when
you arrived at the Wildcard for like the first time
to see Freddy since the last fight against Ugus, I
guess you guys hadn't seen each other in the four
years that it was like nothing, no time had passed,
and it was like instantaneous, just we're back in the group.
Can you describe to me what it was like to
sort of be back where you'd spend so many, probably
thousands of hours training for your fights over the last
almost twenty five years.
Speaker 2: The time that I'm back in Wildcard, like, uh you
say hello, I had my my my trainer, Red Roads,
and we meet each other, we miss each other, and
then and then we talk about the fight and talk
about the Trading Cup.
Speaker 4: You know, it's nice to uh.
Speaker 2: Ah to have you know, the work back again with
Timpac pretty the whole time, Boo boy, Justin and the rest.
Speaker 1: When I was looking at the matchup and I looked
at you know, because every you know, a big part
of the fight, man is of course the fact that
you're forty six and haven't fought for the last four years.
But what if I what do you think when I
tell you that that when you had your professional debut
in nineteen ninety five, that was a few months before
Mario Barrios was born, and then now you're going to
fight a man who wasn't even alive when you started
your professional career. M H, what do you think about
When I say that.
Speaker 4: I can imagine, Well.
Speaker 1: What do you think about Barrios? I mean, he's he's
an exciting champion. He's been in some excellent fights. His
last fight, which was a draw, was a Fight of
the Year contender. He's been willing to fight the top guys.
He had, uh faced other quality opponents Tank Davis for one.
He's now taken on a legend like yourself. What is
your your view when you when you look at what
he's all about.
Speaker 3: And look Barrius, you know it's hard to understandate him,
Like you cannot understand with him because he's he has
advantage taller than me, and he's a champion.
Speaker 4: He has a rich advantage.
Speaker 2: So it's kind of opponent that you gonna understandate him,
will give him confidence.
Speaker 1: The many Pako at his best at welterweight, like when
you were fighting guys I, Miguel Coto and Uh and
in that timeframe of your career. And no disrespect to Borrows,
but a lot of people would have said, MANI package
just goes in there and annihilates him. But because of
your long layoff and the age factor. Uh, there's a
lot of people that think it's a much more tough
or closer fight. How do you view it?
Speaker 2: The lonely for me is like, it's better for me
because I've been in boxing four since when I was
twelve years old, so non stop, don stop in my career.
So it's really good timing for my body to rest
for four years. And when I come back, like, I'm
so excited and I feel like when I started in box,
thing training come like that liazteness is not in. Uh,
it's not come. Come comes in much to my mind,
my body like I'm passionate to work hard, to punish more,
and the timpacao, the trainers watching me to stop, not
to push.
Speaker 1: Did your family have any concerns when you said I'm
coming back. Did they say, oh, yeah, we can't wait.
We look forward to her. Did they say, you know,
maybe you want to think twice about that? What was
their reaction?
Speaker 2: No? When I asked my wife, like, you know I
can fight, like yes, you go fight, Like okay, are
you sure?
Speaker 4: Yes? Okay, I'll go home.
Speaker 1: So she was okay with it. I'm going I just
got a couple more quick ones for you. This is
going to be your sixteenth boxing match at the MGM
Grand Garden Arena, twenty four years after your American debut
where you knocked out Laila led Wabba to win the
junior featherweight title. Uh, A fight that I was actually
ringside for. Amazingly, I wanted to know, because it's been
such a long time and you've had such a wonderful
history at that arena, what are your memories of that
first one? Because that was your big American debut where
you made an impression on so many people. What do
you remember about that night that was so special?
Speaker 2: First I remember that fight is the announcers hardly pronounced
my name correctly.
Speaker 1: That's true. I remember that.
Speaker 4: Use. And it's also to notice for before the fight.
Speaker 1: Could you've ever in your wildest dreams many thought that
twenty four years later you'd still be fighting. You've had
done all the accomplishments since then of going up and
winning championships in eight different weight classes. I mean, like
you said, fighter of the oldest fighter to be a
world a welterweight world champion, Fighter of the decade of
the two thousands of five lineal championships, which is a
record eight division world titles, which is a record. I
mean Fighter of the Year three times. I mean, the
list is just endless in terms of what you've accomplished.
I mean, was that even part of the dream.
Speaker 2: I never imagine what I have accomplished in boxing, Like
when I interpret the boxing, my goal is like to
help my parents too, to bring him out of property,
and also to become a champion in the Philippines.
Speaker 4: But the thing is like.
Speaker 2: When when my my knowledge about boxing white became whiter
and I I dream to become world champion, just just
a world champion, And what I have done in a
complic in in boxing is beyond my own imagination. Like
you know, a boy from uh from Sarangani ceiling whatever
pandical newspaper in the streets became a No. One fighter
and became a world champion.
Speaker 4: So so of.
Speaker 1: All the just wrap up with this many of all
of all the big time fights that you have had,
and all those world championships and all those big events,
do you have one fight that you look back most
fondly on, Like this was my favorite fight, This is
when I was at my absolute best.
Speaker 2: What of my favorite fighters when I started look back
like Mike Tyson.
Speaker 1: No no, and then your own your own fights. I'm
talking about your own.
Speaker 4: Fights, my own fight.
Speaker 1: Oh you're like that, you participate in like that you
look back on and say, this is when I thought
I was at my desk. This is my favorite performance.
My favorite fight that I've been in.
Speaker 2: My most favorite performance in boxing is the fight with
Marco at the first one.
Speaker 1: That's a great thick. Can you tell me why?
Speaker 5: Oh I'm I'm underdog and nobody knows me, and like,
like what the fight like, it's the one side did
like you know, I owned the home foot round, favorite round.
Speaker 1: Nanny. I thank you very much for your time and
I wish you the best in reaching your goal of
another world title coming up July nineteenth. Thank you so much.
Speaker 4: Thanks that