Why did Manny Pacquiao of Philippines return to boxing at 46?

The Pacman is back. That’s what Manny Pacquiao declared last week as he returned to the ring after a four-year hiatus. At 46, earning a draw against an opponent 16 years younger at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas should count as a win. Mario Barrios withstood Pacquiao’s onslaught and finished strong to retain the WBC welterweight title.

So, why did Pacquiao return? It’s not a surprise. Boxers do this all the time. Retirement often doesn’t stick. Many greats have come back with varying levels of success: Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, Mike Tyson, Larry Holmes, George Foreman and Joe Louis — the list is long. So why not Pacquiao?

Can he? Yes. Should he? That’s not for me, or anyone else, to decide. It’s his call, and that deserves respect.

Pacquiao is undeniably one of the all-time greats. As a boxer, he was in a league of his own. He remains the pride of the Philippines. Every win sent the nation into raptures. Filipinos would stay up all night to watch him dismantle opponent after opponent. They did the same on July 19. But this time, American boxer Barrios held on for a draw.

And it’s not a one-off. Promoter Bob Arum already has another opponent in mind: Rolly Romero. “I give Manny a good chance to win against Romero,” the CEO of Top Rank, a boxing promotional company, told Big Fight Weekend.

Still, you might ask: why take the risk? Blows to the head can be debilitating. Dementia is a grim reality for many retired boxers, especially those in their forties. Pacquiao is 46.

One image lingers in my memory: the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, when Muhammad Ali lit the Olympic flame. His left arm trembled uncontrollably as he held aloft the torch with his right hand. It was a haunting sight. The Greatest, scythed down by Parkinson’s. That’s the price many boxers pay.

So again, why return? Tyson did it at 58 to fight Jake Paul. Pacquiao is only 46. Even that comparison feels unconvincing.

It’s unlikely to be about money. Pacquiao’s glittering career brought him immense wealth. He’s a businessman and a former senator. Still, the Barrios fight reportedly netted him around $18 million. That’s hard to ignore.

More than anything, many athletes struggle with life away from the spotlight.

“I have surveyed every thrill a man of my level of privilege can experience. Nothing matches the thrill of stepping out of that corner … another man facing me from 15 feet away, and trying to prove I am more man than him,” a Reuters report quoted Sugar Ray Leonard as saying. He too came back for a one-off bout and stayed for three title defences before time caught up with him.

For four years, Pacquiao must have missed it: the roar of the crowd, the rush of adrenaline. It’s an addiction. For now, the Pacman’s journey continues.