Pacquiao and Barrios Battle to a Draw

 

Hall of Famer Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao and WBC Welterweight World Champion Mario “El Azteca” Barrios fought to a majority draw after 12 tense back-and-forth rounds in the main event of a PBC Pay-Per-View event on Prime Video Saturday night from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Looking to break his own record as the oldest welterweight world champion in boxing history, Pacquiao came up just short as two judges scored the fight 114-114, with one judge turning in a 115-113 score.

“I thought I won the fight,” said Pacquiao (62-8-3, 39 KOs).” It was a close fight. He was very tough. I worked hard and stayed disciplined. I always keep my body in shape so that I can do this.”

“It was an honor to share the ring with him,” said Barrios (29-2-2, 18 KOs). “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.”

The CompuBox stats reflected the close nature of the fight, with Pacquiao holding an 81-75 edge in power punches, while Barrios landed 45 jabs to Pacquiao’s 20. With a capacity crowd on their feet for every shot landed, Pacquiao showed early that he was stepping into the ring a better fighter than when he last competed in 2021.

“His stamina is crazy,” said Barrios. “He’s still strong as hell and his timing is real. He’s still a very awkward fighter to try to figure out.”

In round eight, Pacquiao had his biggest moment of the fight when he brought his legion of fans to their feet with a series of big left hooks right before the bell. With the momentum seemingly in Pacquiao’s favor, Barrios dug deep and won the last three rounds on all of the judges’ cards to earn the draw and retain his title.

“I had to find a way to finish the fight better but my opponent is so tough,” said Pacquiao. “He threw a lot of good combinations and had defense. It was a tough fight.”

“I didn’t think the fight was getting away from me, but I knew I had to step it up to solidify a win,” said Barrios. “The plan was to press him and try to make him feel old. But he’s still got good legs.”

After the fight, both fighters expressed their interest in a potential championship rematch.

“I need to continue my training for longer going into a championship fight,” said Pacquiao. “Because of the election I started late, but it’s okay. Of course I’d like a rematch. I want to leave a legacy and make the Filipino people proud.”

“I’ll do the rematch,” said Barrios. “Absolutely. This was huge for boxing. I’d love to do it again.”