Pacquiao Draws with Barrios: The Icon's Return Remains Incomplete

Pacquiao Seeks History, but Barrios Retains Title in Majority Draw

Las Vegas witnessed the return of Manny Pacquiao, who sought to make history as the oldest boxer to win the welterweight championship. The setting, the MGM Grand Garden Arena, evoked memories of his debut in the United States more than two decades ago. However, Pacquiao’s dream was cut short when his fight against WBC champion Mario Barrios ended in a majority draw. Barrios retained his title, leaving Pacquiao without the desired victory.

I thought I won the fight. It was a close fight. He was very tough.
Manny Pacquiao

Pacquiao was dominating the scorecards of the three judges until the tenth round. However, the three judges favored Barrios in the last three rounds, which allowed him to keep his belt. The result, with two judges scoring 114-114 and one 115-113 in favor of Barrios, disappointed the crowd, mostly made up of Pacquiao’s fans. Pacquiao, after his induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame and after a four-year retirement, showed a promising start against Barrios, who is 16 years younger. In the first rounds, a version closer to the Pacquiao of yesteryear was seen, different from the one who lost to Yordenis Ugas in 2021. The only world champion in eight divisions delighted the fans with his characteristic offensive style, fast and precise combinations. The image of Pacquiao, as the rounds went by, showed signs of fatigue.

Pacquiao Draws with Barrios: The Icon's Return Remains Incomplete — Manny Pacquiao, a la derecha, lideraba en las tarjetas de los tres jueces hasta el décimo asalto, pero los tres puntuaron los últimos tres asaltos a favor de Barrios.

Pacquiao, who announced his return to the ring after failing to secure a Senate seat, acknowledged the need to improve his preparation.

I need to continue my training for more time for a championship fight. Due to the elections, I started late, but it’s okay. Of course, I would like a rematch. I want to leave a legacy and make the Filipino people proud.
Manny Pacquiao

Barrios, before this fight, had only been defeated by Gervonta Davis and Keith Thurman. Although his last performances had not been entirely impressive. Barrios, selected by Pacquiao for his return, obtained the opportunity for the title thanks to the WBC rules. Although Pacquiao was close to victory, Barrios managed to recover.

His resilience is incredible. He’s still strong as hell and his timing is real. He’s still a very difficult fighter to figure out.
Mario Barrios

Pacquiao tried, with effort, to connect his combinations, but fatigue was evident in the second half. Barrios did enough to convince the judges, keeping his title. The statistics revealed that Pacquiao landed 101 of 577 punches (17.5%) against Barrios’ 120 of 658 (18.2%), although Pacquiao outlanded his opponent in power punches with 81-75. Barrios expressed his interest in a new confrontation.

I’ll have the rematch. Absolutely. This was huge for boxing. I’d love to do it again.
Mario Barrios

Considering that Pacquiao has plans to continue fighting, he could have another opportunity to make history. Meanwhile, he can be proud to show that he still has the ability.