LAS VEGAS — Over 24 years after Manny Pacquiao made his unforgettable stateside debut at the MGM Grand Garden Arena by defeating Lehlo Ledwaba to claim the IBF junior featherweight title, the Filipino legend returned to the same venue, this time aiming to make history. At 46 years old, Pacquiao sought to become the oldest fighter to ever win the welterweight championship.
However, the night didn’t unfold as Pacquiao had hoped. In a hard-fought battle with WBC champion Mario Barrios, Pacquiao’s bid for the title ended in a majority draw, meaning Barrios successfully retained his belt. Despite a valiant effort, Pacquiao left Las Vegas without the championship.
"I thought I won the fight," a disappointed Pacquiao said after the bout. "It was a close fight. He was very tough."
Pacquiao was in control on all three scorecards heading into the 10th round. However, in a dramatic turn, all three judges scored the final three rounds in favor of Mario Barrios, allowing the WBC champion to retain his title. The result — with two judges scoring it 114-114 and one judge having it 115-113 for Barrios — fell flat in front of a packed crowd of 13,107, most of whom were rooting for Pacquiao.
Pacquiao (62-8-3, 39 KOs) had come out of a four-year retirement just a month after being inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. He started the fight strong against Barrios, who is 16 years younger. In the early rounds, Pacquiao looked like a more vintage version of himself, showcasing a style far removed from the sluggish performance he had in his 2021 loss to Yordenis Ugas. The eight-division world champion energized the crowd with his trademark offense, darting in with left-hand jabs between Barrios’ defenses and following up with rapid-fire combinations.
However, as the rounds wore on, Father Time appeared to catch up with the former senator. By the middle rounds, Pacquiao’s pace slowed, and Barrios began to capitalize, ultimately securing the draw and keeping his WBC title.
"I need to continue my training for longer going into a championship fight," said Pacquiao, who announced his return to the ring in May after falling short in his run for senator. "Because of the election I started late, but it's OK. Of course I'd like a rematch. I want to leave a legacy and make the Filipino people proud."
Heading into the fight, Barrios (29-2-2, 18 KOs) had only lost to Gervonta Davis and Keith Thurman. However, his past two outings against Abel Ramos (draw) and Fabian Maidana (win) were far from impressive.
Barrios was handpicked by Pacquiao for his return fight and was granted a title shot due to the WBC's rules stating that a former champion could request a title fight after coming out of retirement. Pacquiao nearly pulled it off, but Barrios clawed his way back into the fight.
"His stamina is crazy," Barrios said. "He's still strong as hell and his timing is real. He's still a very awkward fighter to try to figure out."
Pacquiao summoned the energy to fire his combinations but was clearly tiring in the second half as Barrios did just enough to convince the judges, allowing him to retain his title.
Pacquiao landed 101 of 577 punches (17.5%) to Barrios' 120 of 658 (18.2%), but Pacquiao managed to outland his opponent 81-75 in power punches.
Barrios said he would be interested in sharing the ring with the legend again.
"I'll do the rematch," Barrios said. "Absolutely. This was huge for boxing. I'd love to do it again."
Considering that Pacquiao said he is looking to fight again, he might get another attempt at making history. Until then, he can take solace in proving he still has it.
Said Pacquiao, "I hope this is an inspiration to boxers that if you have discipline and work hard you can still fight at this age."
0 Comments