Naoya Inoue named MVP / Manny Pacquiao ranked 5th in welterweight in the latest WBC rankings

The WBC has announced its latest rankings. The MVP of the month was awarded to Naoya Inoue (Ohashi Gym), who successfully defended his undisputed world super bantamweight title on May 4 (May 5 Japan time) at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, USA, by defeating Ramon Cardenas (USA), who was ranked WBA No.1, IBF No.8, and WBO No.10, with a TKO at 45 seconds of the 8th round. Inoue now holds a perfect record of 30 wins (27 KOs) with no losses.

Cardenas, who managed to knock Inoue down in the second round and put up a commendable performance, was selected as an Outstanding Fighter and is now ranked No.7 in the super bantamweight division.

Additionally, 46-year-old Manny Pacquiao (Philippines), a former six-division world champion who is set to challenge WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios (USA, 29 wins [18 KOs], 2 losses, 1 draw) on July 19 (July 20 Japan time) at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, has been ranked No.5 in the welterweight division.

Manny Pacquiao’s last fight was on August 21, 2021 (August 22 Japan time) at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, where he challenged Yordenis Ugas (Cuba) for the WBA super welterweight title and lost by unanimous decision after 12 rounds. The upcoming bout against Barrios will mark his return to the ring after approximately 3 years and 11 months.

Having already obtained fight approval from the Nevada State Athletic Commission, Pacquiao is eligible to challenge Barrios under the WBC rule that allows former champions coming out of retirement to request a title shot.

On May 3 (May 4 Japan time), at The Venue in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Badou Jack (Sweden), who holds the WBC world cruiserweight title, defeated the WBC champion in recess Noel Gevor (Armenia, 27 wins [12 KOs], 3 losses) by a 12-round decision. Jack, who now has a record of 29 wins (17 KOs), 3 losses, and 3 draws, was also selected as an Outstanding Fighter.

The 41-year-old Jack was making his return after about 2 years and 2 months, and won by a narrow decision (115-113, 115-113, 114-114) over the 34-year-old Gevor, who had been inactive for about 18 months due to a legal dispute with promoter Don King.

Looking forward to seeing whether Pacquiao can overcome nearly four years of inactivity!

This article has been translated and published with permission from BOXING MASTER.

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