Manny Pacquiao makes brutal decision about son's boxing fight ahead of return

Boxing great Manny Pacquiao has disclosed that he postponed his son's bout to a date after his own upcoming fight.

At 46, 'Pac Man' is gearing up for a surprising comeback this weekend. His last appearance in the ring ended in a points defeat to Yordenis Ugas, where the Filipino star seemed a mere shadow of his prime, marking his eighth professional loss.

This Saturday night, the legendary boxer is set to make a return at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, facing off against WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios. In the run-up to the fight, Pacquiao has revealed that he rescheduled his son's fight, originally planned for his undercard, to September or October, citing it as a distraction.

In a conversation with Covers.com, he explained: "I decided to move my son's fight to September or October because it's hard for me to watch my son fighting before my fight. That's right [I moved the fight because it was a distraction]. But I want my son to watch my training because right now, the new generation, they don't know how to punish themselves. I want him to understand what boxing is," reports All Out Fighting.

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He continued: "Boxing is not like heavy training, stuff like that. Boxing is about how you push yourself to the limit, especially in training. Boxing is his passion, but in reality he started late, but he can pursue his passion for a couple of years. But I told him that, 'don't expect that you're going to be like your father'.

“I told him ‘There's only Manny Pacquiao’. I became like that because of God's goodness, mercy and strength and protection. I told him this because if you're thinking that you can be like your dad, then you can be frustrated one day if you don't succeed.”

Pacquiao has opened up about his reasons for returning to the ring at 46, despite fans urging him to retire for good. The boxing legend confessed that loneliness after announcing his retirement was a driving factor behind his comeback. "When I announced my retirement I was so lonely because boxing is my passion. I grew up in boxing, so it's hard for me to hang up the gloves and stop my passion.

“And after four years I realized that I can still fight, I still have that passion and dedication for my sport of boxing and that's why I decided to come back and continue my career. I missed the times that you get interviewed, and you have this training camp, and a lot of people are with you when training. There are people joining you in camp. I missed those moments, and also promoting the fights.”

When is Manny Pacquiao's next fight?

The Filipino icon is set to face WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios on Saturday, July 19 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The main undercard will kick off around 1am BST on Sunday, with Pacquiao and Barrios expected to make their ringwalks at 11pm ET / 4am BST.

Ahead of the fight, Barrios has vowed to show no mercy in the ring. In an interview with The Ring, the welterweight champion said: "If the roles were reversed, Pacquiao wouldn't try to take it easy on me. He's not going to feel sorry for me in there. It's just the reality of the sport. I am ready to defend my title by any means necessary.

“It's kill or be killed in there. I have to go in there and make sure my hand is raised by any means necessary, whether it's by knockout or by decision. He has age. I have to be ready for whatever he brings." He added: "He's such a likeable dude. It's hard to be like, 'Man, I'm about to square up with him for my title.' But I am going in there with bad intentions. I am trying to get him out of there.”