LOS ANGELES — The rodeo is back in town.

Manny Pacquiao and his team arrived at Los Angeles International Airport on Sunday night to begin preparations for their July 19 comeback fight against WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios.

The long in-negotiations fight is finally coming to fruition and is set to headline a PBC event in Las Vegas; an official announcement and press conference is imminent.

The 46-year-old warhorse was joined by his wife Jinkee, longtime assistant coach Buboy Fernandez and personal assistant David Sisson, among others, as he made his way through a throng of people and into a black caravan to exit LAX.

By Monday morning, Pacquiao was going through his traditional public training routine at a local park in the Fairfax District. Pacquiao will hold training camp with his longtime coach, Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach.

“Viva Manny to training at Wild Card,” Sean Gibbons, Pacquiao’s advisor and head of his promotional company, told The Ring.

The powerful pair of Pacquiao and Roach was such a dynamic duo during their heyday that on Sunday, the City of Los Angeles honored Roach by designating the iconic gym property to "Freddie Roach Square" as the community commemorated 30 years of the gym’s existence.

Over the first weekend in June, the eight-division champion Pacquiao (62-8-2, 39 KOs) will be inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame and switch his attention back to Barrios, a 30-year-old who wasn’t even born when the Filipino icon made his pro debut in 1995.

Pacquiao last fought as a pro in August 2021, a unanimous decision loss to Yordenis Ugas. He’s engaged in exhibitions ever since, and the most recent performance in July against former K-1 champion Rukiya Anpo left many calling for Pacquiao to hang up the gloves for good.

But the WBC re-entered Pacquiao in its rankings earlier this month at the No. 5 spot, and the handpicked Barrios (29-2-1, 18 KOs) is perceived to be a “very winnable fight.”

Once a long-planned fight with Pacquiao didn’t materialize last year, Barrios shifted focus and fought to a surprising split draw against Abel Ramos in November.

When Pacquiao was asked by a group of reporters about the 16-year age discrepancy and the dangers of returning now, he flashed a smile and said, “don't worry about it.”

“It's a tough road for anyone at this age to do what Manny is trying to do. But if anyone can do it, Manny can,” Roach told The Ring in a statement provided by his publicist, Fred Sternburg.

Pacquiao also teased that his son Jimuel will make his pro debut on a card that is also supposed to feature the rematch between WBO junior middleweight champion Sebastian Fundora and Tim Tszyu.

"He's 46 now. And even me, as his son, I love him, he's my dad. There's also concern there," Jimuel told reporters during Roach's ceremony in Hollywood on Sunday. "But I believe in him. He has shown us that he stays in shape year-round and all that. So weight is not gonna be a problem, fitness is not gonna be a problem.”

Pacquiao's comeback campaign has long been in the works, and it became clearer last week when he conceded defeat in a bid for another seat in the Philippines Senate after finishing 18th place during the midterm elections.

Pacquiao served as a senator from 2016-22.

“I may not have won in my run for the Senate, but I am totally grateful for each vote, each prayer, and support,” Pacquaio said in a statement released in Filipino last week. “The fight continues. Service continues. For God. For the country. For each Filipino.”