Manny Pacquiao, Mario Barrios fight to majority draw

The 46-year old’s comeback bid for 13th satellite rubric falls abbreviated with a gully against WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios.

Manny Pacquiao’s bid to go the oldest welterweight champion successful boxing past fell abbreviated arsenic helium failed to bushed Mario Barrios astatine the MGM Grand Garden Arena successful Las Vegas.

But helium did not lose, either.

Instead, the 46-year-old Pacquiao and the 30-year-old Barrios fought to a bulk gully connected Saturday, with 1 justice giving Barrios a 115-113 triumph and the different 2 judges scoring it a 114-114 draw.

The effect allowed Barrios (29-2-2, 18 knockouts) to clasp his WBC welterweight belt.

“I thought I won the fight,” Pacquiao said afterwards.

“I mean, it was a adjacent fight. My hostile was precise tough. It was a fantastic fight. It was good.”

Pacquiao (62-8-3, 39 KOs) already holds the grounds for the oldest welterweight champion, winning the loop via split-decision implicit Keith Thurman successful 2019.

The Filipino fable was enshrined successful the International Boxing Hall of Fame past month. Pacquiao dominated Saturday’s combat aboriginal on, showing vigor against his younger foe.

Ultimately, though, CompuBox stats had Barrios landing much punches (120-101) and much jabs (45-20), though Pacquiao landed 81 powerfulness punches to Barrios’s 75.

Barrios, right, throws a close astatine Pacquiao successful the 3rd circular [Ethan Miller/Getty Images via AFP]

Pacquiao held the pb connected each 3 cards aft 10 rounds, but Barrios took each 3 rounds connected each 3 scorecards to debar the upset. Age and stamina were decidedly connected Pacquiao’s caput aft the fight.

“I request to proceed my grooming for longer going into a title fight,” said Pacquiao, who mislaid his senatorial bid successful the Philippines successful May. “Because of the election, I started late, but it’s OK. Of course, I’d similar a rematch. I privation to permission a bequest and marque the Filipino radical proud.

“Don’t archer that to Barrios.

“His stamina is crazy,” the champion said. “He’s inactive beardown arsenic hell, and his timing is real. He’s inactive a precise awkward combatant to effort to fig out.”

As for a rematch, Barrios is ready.

“I’ll bash the rematch. Absolutely. This was immense for boxing. I’d emotion to bash it again.”

Barrios, left, and Pacquiao respond aft warring to a bulk gully successful their welterweight rubric bout [John Locher/AP Photo]