Mario Barrios (c) vs. Manny Pacquiao ends in majority draw (115-113 Barrios, 114-114, 114-114)
Manny Pacquiao’s return to the ring came up just short on Saturday night, as his fight with WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios ended in a majority draw. At 46 years old, Pacquiao was aiming to make history by becoming the first fighter to win world championships in four different decades. However, Barrios retained his title, and Pacquiao left Las Vegas empty-handed.
Pacquiao started the fight using his signature speed and agility, darting in and out with vintage combinations and quickly finding a rhythm. He looked noticeably better than he did in his previous bout in 2021, when he lost a decision to Yordenis Ugas.
Heading into the tenth round, Pacquiao had the lead, but a brief pause to fix loose tape on his glove gave Barrios a moment to regroup. From there, Barrios closed strong—winning the tenth, landing ten power shots in the eleventh, and doing just enough in the twelfth to escape with a draw.
Despite the result, Pacquiao defied expectations. He was competitive with a champion 16 years younger and showed flashes of the explosiveness and speed that once made him an eight-division world champion and one of boxing’s biggest stars. While he didn’t look like the fighter of old and his reflexes were clearly diminished, Barrios failed to capitalize on Pacquiao’s physical decline. The younger champion allowed Pacquiao to have several impressive moments throughout the 12-round bout.
Barrios (29-2-2, 18 KO) effectively worked his jab throughout the fight but didn’t follow it up with consistent power shots or body work, which could have worn down the older Pacquiao, who was fighting for the first time in nearly four years.
In a low-output bout, Pacquiao landed 101 of 577 total punches (17.5%), while Barrios slightly outlanded him with 120 of 658 (18.2%). Although Barrios had the edge in total punches, Pacquiao held a narrow lead in power punches, landing 81 to Barrios’s 75.
The judges’ scorecards reflected the fight’s razor-thin margins. Pacquiao was ahead after nine rounds, but Barrios swept the final three on all cards to secure a majority draw. The final scores were 115-113 for Barrios, and two cards were even at 114-114.
Pacquiao, now 62-8-3 with 39 knockouts, recently ended a four-year retirement just one month after being inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. This comeback performance, while falling short of a win, proved he could still compete at a high level. Pacquiao showed remarkable endurance and determination, committing fully to the pursuit of reclaiming a world title.
Most notably, Pacquiao confirmed this wouldn’t be his final fight, expressing interest in returning to the ring again by the end of the year.
Pacquiao vs. Barrios Fight Card Results
- Mario Barrios (c) vs. Manny Pacquiao ends in majority draw (115-113 Barrios, 114-114, 114-114)
- Sebastian Fundora (c) def. Tim Tszyu via seventh-round TKO (corner stoppage)
- Isaac Cruz def. Omar Salcido via unanimous decision (99-89, 99-89, 100-88)
- Brandon Figueroa def. Joet Gonzalez via unanimous decision (115-113, 116-112, 116-112)
- David Picasso def. Kyonosuke Kameda via majority decision (98-92, 97-93, 95-95)
- Mark Magsayo def. Jorge Mata via unanimous decision (100-90, 100-90, 98-92)
- Gary Allen Russell Jr. def. Hugo Castaneda via 10th-round TKO
