It seemed as though Manny Pacquiao rode off into the sunset at the right time.

He didn’t look great against Yordenis Ugas in August 2021, but he was well over 40 and had nothing left to prove. Yet, like a moth that's intrinsically drawn to a flame,, Pacquiao is back for another run.

Even at 46, Pacquiao (62-8-2, 39 KOs) will throw himself right back in the mix when he takes on WBC welterweight beltholder Mario Barrios on July 19 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Oddsmakers have always liked Pacquiao, but like the rest of us, they aren’t sure what he has left. So, even with Barrios looking incredibly shaky at times, he’ll march into his second title defense as a 5-1 favorite, according to DraftKings.

To a certain extent, it makes sense. Unless your name is Paulie Malignaggi. From his point of view, Barrios isn’t good enough to be a definitive favorite over anyone with a pulse.

“Mario Barrios not only continues to not impress,” Malignaggi said on his YouTube channel, Paulie TV, “but he looks like he’s getting worse, and he wasn’t that good to begin with.”

There have been stretches when Barrios looked good, such as the time he beat the odds against Ugas in September 2023. Nevertheless, he’s had far too many moments where he’s looked far worse.

In June 2021, he was dropped three times and brutally stopped by a much smaller Gervonta Davis. He also wasn’t competitive in his wide decision loss to Keith Thurman in February 2022.

Fast forward to just last year, and Barrios continued to look lackluster.

In what was supposed to be a run-of-the-mill defense of his title against Abel Ramos, Barrios (29-2-1, 18 KOs) was dropped and outboxed for large stretches. He did, however, escape through the backdoor with his title thanks to a split draw.

Regardless of the up-and-down career, Barrios remains a world champion and has no plans of handing over his title to anyone.

The reverence Malignaggi has for most beltholders just doesn't exist in this case. In fact, the former two-division champion views Barrios as vulnerable, a champ Pacquiao handpicked to bolster his unique and legendary resume even further.

“In a weak welterweight division, a guy like that has picked up a title," Malignaggi said. "I think Manny sees an opportunity to step in and sort of create a historic moment for himself.”