Manny Pacquiao’s bid to make a fairytale return to boxing at the age of 46 ended in disappointment on Saturday, as the Filipino icon was held to a draw by defending WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios in Las Vegas.
Barrios, 30, retained his belt despite being dominated for several rounds by Pacquiao, making a comeback to the ring after a four-year retirement.
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Barrios was awarded the fight 115-113 by one judge, with the other two cards scoring it 114-114.
The result drew a subdued reaction from the MGM Grand Garden Arena crowd, who had roared on Pacquiao during a cagey, hard-fought contest.
At times, it seemed as if Pacquiao was poised to write another improbable chapter in his 30-year professional career as he used all of his guile and experience to frustrate Barrios.
But Barrios rallied furiously over the final three rounds — he was deemed the winner of those rounds on all three cards — to do just enough to force a result that sees him retain his title.
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“I thought I won the fight,” Pacquiao said afterwards. “I mean, it was a close fight. My opponent was very tough. But it was a wonderful fight.
“I was trying to find a way to finish the fight but my opponent was so tough. He threw punches in combination and with defense, so it was hard.”
Barrios, meanwhile, felt he had done enough to deserve the draw.
“I thought I pulled it out,” Barrios said. “But I still tip my hat to Manny. It was an honor to share the ring with him, somebody with so much experience who has accomplished so much in this sport. We left everything in the ring, nothing but love and respect.”
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Barrios admitted he had been awed by Pacquiao’s remarkable reserves of energy and stamina.
“That’s crazy — his stamina, he can still crack and he’s still strong as hell. His timing, his rhythm, everything. He was still a very awkward fighter to figure out,” he said.
– Rematch offer –
Barrios said he had been made aware that he needed to up his workrate to force the result over the closing rounds.
“I knew I had to step it up to try to and solidify a win,” Barrios said.
“I was really pressing him, trying to make him feel old. But he has some good legs — a lot of the tank and a lot of fight left in him.
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Pacquiao, meanwhile, said that he hoped to continue fighting, and would be open to a rematch with Barrios.
“Of course, of course,” he replied when asked if he wanted to continue his career and face Barrios again.
“That’s the only legacy that I can leave behind — to give inspiration to the Filipino people and to be proud wherever you are.”
Barrios, for his part, added he was open to facing Pacquiao again.
“I would love to do it again,” he said during a ring interview.
Pacquiao, whose last win came in 2019, had been regarded as a heavy underdog against his taller, rangier opponent from Texas.
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But the Filipino eight-division champion, one of the most beloved fighters of the era, showed little sign of being troubled for long periods.
Fighting in flurries and landing crisp combinations throughout, Pacquiao consistently looked the busier fighter during the early and middle rounds.
Barrios, by contrast, appeared tentative, reluctant to risk going toe-to-toe early on against the experienced Filipino.
Yet for all of Pacquiao’s craft, he was unable to seriously hurt Barrios, who regrouped impressively in the later rounds to connect with several jabs and do just enough to force the draw.
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