Pacquiao's comeback falls short as Barrios retains WBC welterweight title
But he did not lose, either.
Instead, the 46-year-old Pacquiao and the 30-year-old Barrios fought to a majority draw on Saturday, with one judge giving Barrios a 115-113 win and the other two judges scoring it a 114-114 draw.
The result allowed Barrios (29-2-2, 18 knockouts) to retain his WBC welterweight belt.
'I thought I won the fight,' Pacquiao said afterwards.
'I mean, it was a close fight. My opponent was very tough. It was a wonderful fight. It was good.'
Pacquiao (62-8-3, 39 KOs) already holds the record for the oldest welterweight champion, winning the belt via split-decision over Keith Thurman in 2019.
The Filipino legend was enshrined in the International Boxing Hall of Fame last month. Pacquiao dominated Saturday's fight early on, showing energy against his younger foe.
Ultimately, though, CompuBox stats had Barrios landing more punches (120-101) and more jabs (45-20), though Pacquiao landed 81 power punches to Barrios's 75.
Pacquiao held the lead on all three cards after 10 rounds, but Barrios took all three rounds on all three scorecards to avoid the upset. Age and stamina were definitely on Pacquiao's mind after the fight.
'I need to continue my training for longer going into a championship fight,' said Pacquiao, who lost his senatorial bid in the Philippines in May. '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.
'Don't tell that to Barrios.
'His stamina is crazy,' the champion said. 'He's still strong as hell, and his timing is real. He's still a very awkward fighter to try to figure out.'
As for a rematch, Barrios is ready.
'I'll do the rematch. Absolutely. This was huge for boxing. I'd love to do it again.'
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