LAS VEGAS — Tim Tszyu was a fervent fan in the stands at the tender age of 15 when he first got a close-up look at Manny Pacquiao on Nov. 14, 2009, as the Filipino icon had one of his career-best wins against Miguel Cotto at MGM Grand.

"Pacquiao looked at me and gave me the fist during his ring walk," Tszyu told The Ring. "It was one hell of an experience. That made my day."

Pacquiao (62-8-2, 39 KOs), a once-in-a-generation star, is now transcending generations, as the 46-year-old will end a four-year retirement to face WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios this weekend at MGM.

Their championship contest tops a stacked Premier Boxing Champions card with two world title fights, budding contenders and returning former titleholders all featuring on another busy night of boxing to cap Prime Video's coverage ($79.95 PPV) in Las Vegas.

Tszyu (25-2, 18 KOs), the son of Kostya Tszyu, is second-generation star and has since made a solid name for himself. The former 154-pound titleholder will co-headline Pacquiao's card when he attempts to avenge a split-decision loss to WBC junior middleweight champion Sebastian Fundora (22-1-1, 14 KOs).

"Now to fight on the same card as Manny Pacquiao is an honor for me. It's history in the making," said Tszyu. "It's crazy what Pacquiao is doing at 46. He's one hell of a fighter. You can't beat youth, I believe, and Barrios is a beast. He's an animal. It's going to be a tough night at the office for Pacquiao. But we'll see what he brings."

Tszyu got an even closer look at Pacquiao in 2019, helping him prepare in the Philippines for two weeks before his fight against Keith Thurman. Pacquiao knocked him down and scored a split-decision win at 40 in a turn-back-the-clock performance that stands as the final win of his Hall of Fame career.

Tszyu said that it didn't feel like he was sparring a quadragenarian at the time.

"I thought he was still young in the game with the way he moved around," said Tszyu. "I was really surprised with the impact of his shots. They were thudding."

Tszyu said it's an honor to serve as the primary appetizer to Pacquiao's comeback against Barrios (29-2-1, 18 KOs) as he tries to even the score with Fundora.

"I'm fighting on an iconic stage at MGM Grand. It's a young kid's dream to be fighting at this level," Tszyu said.

"This is a massive card with Manny coming back to do historic things. This card has everything. It's a real global boxing stage, gonna be a hell of a show, I really think it's gonna be the card of the year."