LAS VEGAS - Given the circumstances, Manny Pacquiao may have turned in one of his best performances, but it wasn't enough to earn victory over Mario Barrios, with the two having to content themselves with a draw.
Returning to boxing after a four-year absence, at the age of 46, the Filipino legend showed just why he's considered one of the greatest of all-time, running the 30-year-old WBC welterweight champion all the way in front of a raucous crowd at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
In the end, two judges had it 114-114, while Max De Luca had it 115-113 for Texan.
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Both guys felt they'd done enough to get the decision, which is to be expected in a fight where many rounds felt razor thin.
"I thought I won the fight. It was a close fight," Pacquiao, whose record is now 62-8-3, said following the decision.
"I worked hard and stayed disciplined," Pacquiao continued. "I always keep my body in shape so that I can do this. I had to find a way to finish the fight better, but my opponent is so tough. He threw a lot of good combinations and had defense. It was a tough fight."
Pacquiao added that his mere presence in the ring at age 46 after a four-year layoff should serve as motivation for other fighters.
"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. "Of course I'd like a rematch. I want to leave a legacy and make the Filipino people proud."
While Pacquiao's work was the flashier and got the crowd going, Barrios' defensive skills held up, and he countered well and with accuracy throughout the bout.
A blockbuster eighth round for PacMan swung the momentum his way, but he couldn't seal the deal through the championship rounds.
"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. He's still strong as hell, and his timing is real. He's still a very awkward fighter to try to figure out. I didn't think the fight was getting away from me, but I knew I had to step it up to solidify a win."
Like Pacquiao, Barrios is ready a rematch.
"I'll do the rematch," Barrios said. "Absolutely. This was huge for boxing. I'd love to do it again."
Barrios moves to 29-2-2 but retains his world title.
In the chief undercard match, Sebastian Fundora put an exclamation point on his rivalry with Tim Tszyu, stopping the Australian in another all-action clash.
While there may have been questions following the first meeting, there was no doubt this time around, with Tszyu's corner advising referee Harvey Dock to stop the bout ahead of the eighth round.
That came after Tszyu found himself on the canvas in the opening round as Fundora turned in a career-best performance to retain the WBC super welterweight title.
Earlier, Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz won the interim WBC super lightweight title with a one-sided decision win over late-notice replacement Omar Salcido.
The all-action crowd favorite was at his intimidating best, walking Salcido down and landing seemingly endless power shots, with his opponent’s durability emerging as one of the main takeaways from the bout.
To kick off the pay-per-view, Brandon Figueroa claimed a hard-fought victory over Joet Gonzalez in their WBA featherweight title eliminator, earning a close points decision following 12 rounds of high-paced, close-quarters action.
Catch up on all the results from the Pacquiao vs. Barrios undercard and main event.
Manny Pacquiao vs. Mario Barrios full card results
- Mario Barrios (c) draws Manny Pacquiao MD12 (114-114 x2, 115-113 Barrios) for the WBC welterweight title
- Sebastian Fundora (c) def. Tim Tszyu via TKO7 for the WBC super welterweight title
- Isaac Cruz def. Omar Salcido Gamez via UD10 (99-89 x2, 100-88) for the interim WBC super lightweight title
- Brandon Figueroa def. Joet Gonzalez via UD12 (115-113, 116-112 x2)
- Gary Russell Jr. vs. Hugo Castaneda via TKO10
- David Picasso def. Kyonosuke Komeda via MD10 (95-95, 97-93, 98-92)
- Mark Magsayo def. Jorge Mata Cuellar via UD10 (100-90 x2, 98-92)
How to watch Manny Pacquiao vs. Mario Barrios
- Live stream: Prime Video
- Prime Video: $8.99/month | Ad-free: $11.98/month
- PPV Price: $79.95
Manny Pacquiao vs. Mario Barrios will be on Prime Video. The PPV price is $79.95.