Manny Pacquiao’s return to the ring on Saturday night nearly ended in historic fashion, but in the end, he fell just short as Mario Barrios retained his WBC welterweight title in a majority draw.
The highly anticipated bout featured two judges scoring the fight as a draw, while one judge, Max DeLuca, awarded Barrios a 115-113 victory.
However, the Associated Press scored the fight 115-113 in favor of Pacquiao, further adding to the controversy surrounding the decision.
Pacquiao Pushes Back Against Father Time
At 46 years old, Pacquiao was looking to break his own record as the oldest welterweight champion, a feat he achieved at 40 when he defeated Keith Thurman in 2019. This bout marked his return to the ring after nearly four years, following a unanimous decision loss to Yordenis Ugás.
Despite the long layoff and doubts about his age and abilities, Pacquiao showcased his legendary skill and movement early in the fight, often looking like the younger fighter who had conquered 12 world titles across eight weight divisions.
“I thought I won the fight,” Pacquiao said after the decision was announced.
A Fight of Contrasting Styles
Throughout the match, Barrios, the 30-year-old San Antonio native, landed more total punches (120-101), according to Compubox statistics, while Pacquiao landed more power shots (81-75).
Pacquiao controlled much of the middle rounds, particularly in the seventh, where he landed several big left hands. Pacquiao appeared to be gaining the upper hand, winning the following three rounds on two judges’ cards.
However, Barrios turned up the aggression in the final rounds, knowing that the fight might be slipping away. All three judges awarded Barrios the last three rounds, which helped secure the draw.
“I didn’t think the fight was getting away from me, but I knew I had to step it up to solidify a win,” Barrios said.
Barrios Shows Respect for Pacquiao
Barrios, who came into the fight as a -275 favorite at BetMGM Sportsbook, was pushed to his limits by the Filipino legend. The heavily pro-Pacquiao crowd voiced their displeasure with the draw, loudly booing the decision. Despite the close contest, Barrios expressed nothing but respect for Pacquiao after the fight.
“It was an honor to share the ring with him,” Barrios said. “This is by far the biggest event I’ve had to date, and we came in here and left everything in the ring. I have nothing but respect for Manny. His stamina is crazy. He’s still strong as hell and his timing is real. He’s still a very awkward fighter to try to figure out.”
Potential for a Rematch
Both fighters expressed interest in a rematch after the bout. Pacquiao, ever the inspiration to others, hoped his performance at 46 would motivate other boxers to continue fighting with discipline and dedication at any age.
“I hope this is an inspiration to boxers that if you have discipline and work hard, you can still fight at this age,” Pacquiao said.
Fundora Retains Title in Co-Main Event
In the co-main event, Sebastian Fundora successfully retained his WBC super welterweight title against Tim Tszyu. Fundora dominated the action, knocking down Tszyu with a left hand in the first round and controlling the fight with a total of 118 power punches.
Tszyu was unable to come out for the eighth round after being overwhelmed by Fundora’s aggression. Fundora was leading 69-63 on all three judges’ cards at the time of the stoppage.
“I’m the bigger guy,” Fundora said. “Everyone says I’m a bully in the ring, so I thought I should start really bullying these guys. I just kept working on aggression my whole career and we’ve just been adding.”
It was a big week for Fundora, who had been accepted into Harvard prior to his victory. The Coachella, California native also won his rematch against Tszyu, having previously secured a split-decision victory in their first encounter on March 30, 2024.
