Pacquiao is back, but how back is he? Saturday's fight with Barrios will reveal true extent of comeback!

Manny Pacquiao insisted he was back, and from a purely technical standpoint, he was correct.

Back in the ring. Back as a headliner.

But back to what he was when Pacquiao was one of the planet's most dominant fighters, building a massive fanbase and a gold-standard resume that put him in the International Boxing Hall of Fame last month? That is the real question.

The 46-year-old will get a chance to answer on Saturday night when he tries to take the World Boxing Council (WBC) welterweight belt away from Mario Barrios. The fight will be the Filipino legend's first bout since losing by unanimous decision to Yordenis Ugas nearly four years ago. His last victory came in 2019, a split decision against Keith Thurman.

"Saturday night, it's going to be a great fight," Pacquiao said. "It's been a while that I've been out of the ring, but I'm still active and exercising all the time. I'm going to prove to everyone that I'm in great condition. I've been enjoying training camp like I did in the past, just like when I was 26-years-old. The discipline is still the same. Even with my layoff, my passion is still there."

Barrios, a 30-year-old from San Antonio, is a -275 favorite at BetMGM Sportsbook to spoil Pacquiao's return. But he needs to bounce back from last November's split-decision draw against Abel Ramos that dropped his record to 29-2-1 with 18 knockouts.

"Manny is one of a kind," Barrios said. "He's not an easy style to copy in training camp. We've gotten a lot of different southpaw looks, so I'm feeling extremely comfortable. It feels amazing to be in this position. I poured everything into this sport since I was (a) kid, and now I get to walk the (Las Vegas) Strip with my family and see my name all over. It's something that I've always dreamed of. Now it's my job to show why I'm going to continue to be the champion."

The build-up to this contest didn't come with the usual forced hatred that envelops many title fights. The combatants even chatted during the standard face-off pose at Wednesday's news conference and then broke into laughter.

Hard to imagine that happening at a Gervonta Davis presser.

Barrios cautioned observers not to read too much into the mutual respect and admiration when it comes to what the action in the ring might look like, saying both boxers will give their all.

In the co-main event, WBC super welterweight champion Sebastian Fundora (21-1-1, 14 KOs) will face Tim Tszyu (25-2, 18 KOs). The showdown is a rematch from Fundora's split-decision victory against Tszyu on March 30, 2024.

The rival WBO stripped Fundora of its belt for agreeing to meet Tszyu again, in lieu of facing mandatory challenger Xander Zayas.