Add renowned conditioning coach Justin Fortune on the list of boxing personages who firmly believe the Filipino legend still has it.

“Faster, stronger and experienced,” Fortune told ESNEWS.

Fortune, originally from Australia, and Pacquiao have a long history together stretching back to the buildup for the first fight with Marco Antonio Barrera in 2003.

“Even at 45 (years old),” the one-time powerlifter and heavyweight added.

Pacquiao’s name is being linked to a reigning World Boxing Council welterweight champion Mario Barrios. There are talks swirling that the two are bound to square off in late-October or November in Las Vegas.

Pacquiao, who turns 46 this December, fought Japanese MMA and kickboxing ace Rukiya Anpo last month in an exhibition match in Saitama, Japan. Last time he fought professionally, Pacquiao, boxing’s one and only eight-division world champion, dropped a decision to Cuban Yordenis Ugas at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Pacquiao's Journey: From Flyweight Champion to Welterweight Legend

Manny Pacquiao knows records. The internationally popular Filipino, born into poverty 45 years ago, has been throwing hands for an astonishing 28 years. His championship run started back in 1998. Pacquiao, then 19, won the WBC flyweight title with a victory over Chatchai Sasakul in Thailand. Outboxed for seven rounds, Pacquiao cornered Sasakul in round eight and uncorked a wicked left that knocked the champion out. Pacquiao lost his title but moved up to super bantamweight, where he was victorious in his next nine fights.

Pacquiao made his American fighting debut when challenged favored IBF super bantamweight champion Lehlo Ledwaba in 2001 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, NV. Pacquiao was a late replacement for injured Enrique Sanchez. Time was of the essence. His camp was a short one. Two weeks. Ledwaba, the winner of 33 of 34 fights, was expected to defeat the little-known Pacquaio. Didn’t happen. Pacquiao stopped Ledwaba in six rounds.

Two years later, he met Marco Antonio Barrera in Texas. The Ring featherweight title belt was at stake. Barrera was on an eight-fight winning streak after a controversial loss to Erik Morales. He avenged that loss and defeated, showboating Naseem Hamed. Many experts considered Barrera the best fighter in the featherweight division. The oddsmakers agreed, installing him as a 3-1 favorite.

Pacquiao made them look like fools, dominating Barrera for 10 rounds and stopping him in the 11th. “He punches hard, and he’s a great fighter,” Barrera said. “I couldn’t see a lot of things.”

In 2008, Pacquiao fought rival Juan Manuel Marquez for the second time in Sin City. Their first encounter, four years earlier, had ended in a draw, though Pacquiao floored Marquez three times in the second round. Pacquiao was wobbled early in the rematch but knocked Marquez down in round three. The Mexican great rallied late, but Pacquiao got the nod and picked up the WBC super featherweight title. The decision was controversial.

Pacquiao said, “I was not convinced by my performance, and I wasn’t able to deliver what the people expected of me. That’s boxing. There are instances where you don’t win a one-sided fight. You can’t always beat your opponent in a lopsided way. They also have fists. It so happened that my fight was close.”

Three months later, he was back in Vegas, easily defeating David Diaz to claim the WBC lightweight title. Less than a year later, he decimated IBO super lightweight champion Ricky Hatton in two rounds. “That punch would’ve knocked out a donkey,” said Hatton a few years after the fight.

Pacquiao ended 2009 by moving to the welterweight division and facing the talented Miguel Coto. He pocketed the WBO belt after stopping Cotto in 12 one-sided rounds. The Ring Magazine chose Pacquiao as their Fighter of the Year for 2008 and 2009.

Pacquiao's Rise to the Top: Dominating the Welterweight Division

Back in Texas, Pacquiao faced the much bigger Antonio Margarito. The vacant WBC super welterweight belt was up for grabs. Pacquiao punished Margarito’s face and body for 12 grueling rounds. Margarito sustained a fractured orbital bone in his right eye. He admitted feeling that his substantial size advantage would be too much for Pacquiao. “In that fight, I said that there would be no problems; I said that I did not mind him hitting me six times at a time, because when I caught him, I was going to put him away because of this weight limit,” Margarita said in an interview on boxingscene.com. “But I was wrong because Pacquiao, apart from being accurate, was very fast, had a good shot, and hit very hard.”

Following defeats against Timothy Bradley (I had Pacquiao winning) and Marquez (emphatic), Pacquiao regained his championship status by defeating WBO champ Bradley in a rematch in 2014. He lost the title to Floyd Mayweather but recaptured it when he defeated Jessie Vargas two years later.

Five years ago, Pacquiao became the oldest welterweight champion ever when he edged Keith Thurman over 12 intense rounds. Thurman’s pre-fight blather got under Pacquiao’s skin. “I’m just so motivated for this fight,” he told boxinginsider.com a few days before facing Thurman. “He talks too much, but when he gets in the ring with me, it will be a different story. He’s even gotten my mom upset, so yeah, I’m always motivated for every contest, but this is a little extra.” It’s never a good idea to make a mom upset.

Trainer Freddie Roach could also see a different Pacquiao. “Manny is a little angry, Roach said. “That makes him more aggressive, and I like it when he comes forward.” Pacquiao came after Thurman and floored him in the opening stanza. Thurman worked his back into the fight until a Pacquiao body shot slowed him down. With the victory, Pacquiao became the first four-time welterweight champion. He lost the title to cagey Yordenis Ugás two years later.

Pacquiao's Potential Comeback: A Fight for the Ages?

Pacquiao could be gunning for his fifth title in a decade if his team can agree with WBC titleholder Mario Barrios. Can a 45-year-old Pacquiao defeat an opponent 16 years his junior? Barrios put a beating on Ugas, the fighter who sent Pacquiao into retirement. Former welterweight champion Shawn Porter gives Pacquiao the edge over Barrios. “I think Pac will come back,” Porter said last week. “And I think he will win that fight against Barrios.”

Nobody beats Father Time, but Pacquiao, though not as dynamic as he once was, has kept the bad boy at bay for several years – and set some incredible records. Although the odds are against him, the world awaits to see if Pacquiao can pull off the impossible and regain his glory. This could be one of the biggest boxing events of the year.