LAS VEGAS – Identifying the opponent for Manny Pacquiao’s long-planned comeback wasn’t a complicated or meticulous process.

It was never a matter of if he would face the WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios, but when.

Barrios (29-2-1, 18 KOs) admits he didn’t know if he should take it as a compliment or an insult that Pacquiao (62-8-2, 39 KOs) specifically targeted to take him on at 46 after four years away from the ring when they square off July 19 at the MGM Grand to headline a PBC on Prime Video PPV.

“It's a fight he wanted. I didn't call him out, but it's an honor to be in there with a legend,” Barrios told The Ring. “It didn't really seem real at first. I never thought I'd fight Manny Pacquiao. It's a fight you think about in your head as a dream scenario. The amount of experience he has is the amount of experience I have in life.”

For those keeping track, Barrios was born May 18, 1995; the eight-division champion and recently minted Hall of Fame Pacquiao made his professional debut five months prior.

Pacquiao’s handlers cherry-picked Barrios out of the bunch because they believe he’s beatable.

Bookmakers disagree. Barrios is listed as a minus-370 betting favorite to win the fight.

“They can think my style is tailor-made for him and I am the perfect opponent for them,” said Barrios. “But I think he's going to be in for a rude awakening come fight night. They are going to be very surprised come fight night for what I bring in the ring.

“He has the experience, foot speed, hand speed, he's an aggressive fighter. He's one of a kind. It's hard to find someone who fights like him. I have to be able to adapt. The bigger the risk, the bigger the reward. Beating Pacquiao is going to take me further in my career.”