Manny Pacquiao vs. Mario Barrios: Who has edge, from boxer who fought both
He did it by getting in the ring with both men.
Thurman went 12 rounds with Pacquiao in 2019 and suffered a split-decision loss. He went 12 rounds with Barrios in 2022 and won by unanimous decision.
But the only man who knocked him down was Pacquiao, who dropped Thurman in the first round. So, of course, that's his pick to win the fight, right?
Well, not quite.
During an interview with USA TODAY Sports, Thurman addressed several scenarios as Pacquiao returns to the ring at 46 and the 30-year-old Barrios defends his WBC welterweight world title.
Pacquiao has won world titles at eight divisions. With a victory against Barrios Saturday in Las Vegas, he would become the first boxer to win a world title after being inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
'A big question mark is (whether) Pacquiao is still capable of such feats,'' Thurman said.
Boxing News: Manny Pacquiao training includes stop at Raiders facility
Pacquiao vs. Barrios: Sizing up the fight
While Thurman said he doesn't know how being 46 will affect Pacquiao in the ring, he seized on something else he said could make a big difference – size.
Barrios is 6-0, 6 ½ inches taller than the 5-5 ½ Pacquiao. In addition to being taller, Barrios is also the bigger fighter, according to Thurman.
'He's got a really big size for a lightweight that moved up to welterweight because of his height and his reach,'' Thurman said of Barrios. 'And Manny Pacquiao is not one whose body size is an advantage at welterweight either.
'His major advantage throughout his career was his speed and his agility and a lot of the awkward angles that he is used throughout his career and really just his expertise.''
In his last fight, Pacquiao lost to 5-9 Yordenis Ugas by unanimous decision after Ugas made good use of his reach advantage. Barrios is three inches taller than Ugas, and Thurman recommends a similar strategy for Barrios.
'Keeping your distance boxing on the outside the way that the Cubans normally do, not taking chances and Pac just having to try to make up that gap and work his legs after a layoff,'' Thurman said. 'His legs were not really there. That's my concern (for Pacquiao).
'I think Manny Pacquiao would win via some kind of TKO. He would have to create a knockdown and then take the momentum of the knockdown and finish the fight. And the reason why I see this potentially happening is because Mario Barrios does not have the most sophisticated defense. That's the only downplay. I think that's the road to victory for Manny Pacquiao is the lack of the defense from Mario Barrios.''
Boxing picks: Pacquiao vs. Barrios, Usyk vs. Dubois expert predictions for packed fight weekend
'The major coin toss'
Against Barrios, Thurman said he had success when he threw a pump fake to work his way in.
'Then boom, boom, throw a few creative combos and it was easy to land on Mario Barrios,'' he said. 'And the one thing Manny Pac's notorious for is creative combos. So that's the major coin toss to me is Mario Barrios, his defense.''
While Pacquiao might be slower, Thurman said he expects the aging boxer to be powerful.
'If he gets lucky, the power shot might be there, and with his craftiness and his knowledge of being in the ring, he might be able to do something,'' Thurman said. 'And if he does, it's not a big surprise for me because that's what world-class, elite, legendary fighters are potentially capable of.''
For Barrios, Thurman said he does not recommend rolling with the punches.
'His team needs to have a game plan,'' Thurman said. 'I think it's very essential at this level sometimes when you're going up against just competition in general.
'Because Mario Barrios is the younger guy and because Ugas was able to keep (Pacquiao) on the outside…make him use those legs. Make him prove to us that those legs are still as explosive.''
Pacquiao's bulging calves once functioned like pistons. But the strength and stamina of Pacquiao's legs remain an unknown, given he's been out of the ring for almost four years.
'So make him use those legs,'' Thurman said. 'Don't just stand there. Work behind your jab. Mario Barrios is a long fighter and one of the things that I complimented him post-fight was, out of all the champions I've ever faced, I was really surprised that Mario Barrios had one of the best jabs that I've ever been in the ring with.''
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
8 hours ago
- USA Today
3M Open leaderboard, live updates for Saturday's third round at TPC Twin Cities
They are at the midway point of the 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities— the PGA Tour's second-to-last regular season event on the 2025 calendar. About half the field has been sent packing after the 36-hole cut. The rest are vying for a trophy, 300 FedEx Cup points and an oversized check worth $1.5 million. Everyone is continuing to work on improving their place in the FedEx Cup standings as this year only the top 70 — down from 100 a year ago — advance to the playoffs, which begin in two weeks. Follow along for live updates, scores, highlights and more from Saturday's third round of the 2025 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities. 3M Open leaderboard Keep tabs on every score being carded in Minnesota with our 2025 3M Open leaderboard from USATODAY Sports. Here's what the top of the board looked like at the start of Saturday's third round: Notable golfers who missed the cut at the 2025 3M Open The PGA Tour cut rule states that the low 65 and ties after 36 holes advance to the weekend. The cut came in at 5 under. Some notable names who didn't make the weekend include: What's the weather forecast for Saturday at the 3M Open? Hot and humid is the name of the game this week in the Minneapolis metro. Saturday's forecast calls for sunny conditions with a high of 88 degrees and the heat index climbing into the upper 90s by late afternoon. Light winds at 5-10 mph from south are expected. What is the prize money at the 2025 3M Open? The total purse is $8.4 million and the winner will take home $1.512 million as well as 300 FedEx Cup points and a two-year PGA Tour exemption. Where to watch the 2025 3M Open? When was the first 3M Open? The PGA Tour held the first 3M Open in 2019 about a year after announcing the launch of the event. Previously, TPC Twin Cities host the PGA Tour Champions 3M Championship from 1993 to 2018. Who are all the winners of the 3M Open? Jhonattan Vegas, the 3M Open's defending champion, is back at TPC Twin Cities, aiming to defend his crown. He's not the only past champ in the field as Lee Hodges (2023), Tony Finau (2022) and Cameron Champ (2021) are also set to play. Michael Thompson (2020) and Matthew Woff (2019) are the tournament winners not in the field.
USA Today
14 hours ago
- USA Today
Venus Williams, older athletes are defying age. What's the secret?
Venus Williams' run at the Citi Open in Washington, DC, came to an end in the second round on Thursday, July 24, but that didn't make her any less of an astonishing story. Playing in her first singles match in more than a year, Williams, the 45-year-old tennis great who is currently unranked, thrilled fans when she beat Peyton Stearns 6-3, 6-4 on July 22. Stearns is 23 and ranked 35th in the world. That same day, 45-year-old pitcher Rich Hill became the oldest player in Kansas City Royals history when he started against the Cubs. He allowed just one earned run in five innings in his first game since September 2024. Three days earlier, 46-year-old boxer Manny Pacquiao returned to the ring for the first time in almost four years. Pacquiao electrified the crowd when he fought 30-year-old Mario Barrios, the reigning WBC world welterweight champion, to a majority draw. "I think in general, athletes at that level are just a different sort of type of human being to begin with," said Miho Tanaka, an orthopedic surgeon and director of the Women's Sports Medicine Program at Massachusetts General Hospital. "But I do think that longevity really requires that perfect amount of preparedness and support." She cited "optimizing kinematics," and other experts who talked to USA TODAY cited "recovery methodologies," "wet float and dry float therapy" and "genetics." In interviews with USA TODAY Sports, they offered their insight as the feats of Williams, Hill and Pacquaio put a spotlight on a broader phenomenon in sports: Older athletes playing at an elite level. Sophistication a key factor William Kraemer, a former coach of multiple sports who became a prolific researcher of sports science, is now watching something relatively new. Not just the likes of Venus Williams, Rich Hill and Manny Pacquiao, but other athletes thriving despite their comparatively advanced age. That list includes LeBron James, who will turn 41 during the NBA's upcoming season; Alex Ovechkin, who will turn 40 during the NHL's next season; and Lionel Messi, who is a comparative youngster at 38. "What they're doing now is much more sophisticated in their training, recovery and testing," said Kraemer, senior adviser for sports performance and sports sciences at Ohio State University. "It's just so much more knowledge going into athletic training." That includes improved individualization and sequencing of workout, said Kraemer, who also cited technology such as the Oura ring, worn to monitor health and fitness metrics; dry float therapy, floating on a water-filled membrane without getting wet, and wet float therapy, floating in a tank with salt water and getting wet; and, for sleep, hyperbaric chambers that can cost as much as $90,000. "It is growing to be the norm just because you've got such high-level athletes working and all the money involved," Kraemer said. The price tag for such technology is likely no barrier for wealthy older athletes. Maverick Carter, James' longtime friend and business partner, told GQ in 2018 that James spends more than $1 million a year to keep his body in the best condition possible. "I have no idea where the amount of money came from, but I do invest in my body for sure," James said on "The Pat McAfee Show" this year. "Whatever I can do to continue playing at this level, man, I'm going to continue to do while I'm playing." Working wiser, not harder Dedication appears to be a unifying aspect of older athletes thriving. After winning her first-round match this week, Williams said: "You guys don't know how much work goes into this − like it's 9 to 5 except you're running the whole time. Lifting weights and just like dying and then you repeat it the next day." But athletes at the top of their game and defying age aren't necessarily working harder, said Mike Boyle, a former strength and conditioning coach who worked for the Boston Bruins and the Boston Red Sox. "I think there used to be much more emphasis on how heavy you lift and how tired you get," he said. "And I think people are starting to realize that those probably aren't really the best metrics." Take Pacquiao. Justin Fortune, Pacquiao's strength and conditioning coach, said the boxer has accepted the need for more rest since suffering a shocking defeat in 2017 to Jeff Horn by unanimous decision. "He burned himself out about two weeks before the fight," Fortune said. Miho Tanaka, an orthopedic surgeon and director of the Women's Sports Medicine Program at Massachusetts General Hospital, suggested wisdom is also at work in handling injuries. James has dealt with an assortment of injuries in recent years, as has Messi since joining Inter Miami in 2003. "I think as athletes age in their careers, they can become a little bit wiser in terms of how they approach injuries and how they come back from them," she said. "They know when to not push too far." Nutrition plans, blood work, supplements James, the NBA's all-time leading scorer, and Williams, the seven-time Grand Slam winner, have touted the benefits of personal chefs. But Hill, in his 21st season in the majors, would need to incur little extra expense for meals and supplements, said Marie Spano, a registered dietitian who works for the Washington Nationals. "Baseball has changed dramatically, going from back in the day they were handed a peanut butter and jelly sandwich made by a clubby," said Spano, who also has worked for the Atlanta Braves. "Even when I started in 2013 in baseball, it's changed dramatically since then because of the collective bargaining agreement. Players expect more and teams have to give more. "They spend an astronomical amount on food and supplements. Every team has a registered dietician there, and advanced teams are doing blood work. They're doing more measures on body composition, muscle bone and utilizing that data to drive interventions." It's the older players who make best use of the resources, Spano said. "As I always say to every rookie: Every older athlete I've worked with has everything dialed in," she said. "They're the ones that are asking for detailed nutrition plans. They want the blood work done, they want their supplements dialed in, they're regularly checking in with you." The secret pill Kraemer said there will always be ergogenics – or, more colloquially, banned performance enhancing drugs. But he said suspicion stemming from the success of older athletes "is a reverse prejudice of highly fit athletes." "Poor Joe Namath and Dick Butkus would've played many more years successfully, but they had lousy orthopedic surgeons back in the day," Kraemer said. "So you look at how surgical interventions and sports medicine, athletic training, physical therapy also has elevated. So that's a whole other thing. We know so much more about sports medicine." Boyle, the strength and conditioning coach, said: "Maybe it's my naivety, but I think there's less of that stuff going on. But just the general nutritional knowledge has really increased. I think there's less people looking for, say, the secret pill and more people who are just consistently eating better and consistently taking better care of themselves." Rust or rest? Eric Cressey, who runs high-performance facilities and works with major leaguers, cites the importance of load management. That has become a controversial issue in the NBA as fans complain about buying game tickets only to discover star players are on the bench. But James, for one, has embraced the need for more rest and recovery. Then there is extended rest. Pacquiao said his four-year layoff left his body fresh for his return. Williams looked fresh despite not having played a singles match since March 2024. Instead of rust, fans may have seen the benefits of rest. The value of rest may be eclipsing the fear of rest. "When you see these aging athletes, the No. 1 thing that kind of comes down to is volume management," Cressy said, referring to limiting the stress put on an athlete's body. Then, during a three-day span, Williams, Hill and Pacquiao seemingly turned back the clock. "I don't think these things surprise me, just because you do see players doing it at the really high level," Cressey said. "And there's just going to be more and more of them." If Father Time is undefeated, as James likes to say, you might as well push it to the limit. See if you can't extend Father Time to extra innings, overtime, another round, or in the case of Venus Williams, one more set.
USA Today
18 hours ago
- USA Today
Lionel Messi 'very upset' over discipline for skipping MLS All-Star Game
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL – Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba were 'extremely upset' upon hearing they will not be available to play in Inter Miami's next match after skipping the MLS All-Star Game in Austin, Texas earlier this week, co-owner Jorge Mas said after the league's announcement on Friday, July 25. Any player who does not participate in the All-Star Game without prior approval from the league is ineligible to compete in their club's next match, per MLS rules. Inter Miami will play a highly-anticipated match against first-place FC Cincinnati on Saturday, July 26 at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, without Messi and Alba, despite both returning to practice on Friday for the first time this week with expectations they would be able to play. 'He's very upset, extremely upset today, as expected. I'm hopeful it doesn't have an impact long term,' Mas said of Messi during a Zoom press conference with media, regarding ongoing contract negotiations to extend the Argentine World Champion's contract beyond this season. MLS commissioner Don Garber told USA TODAY Sports this was a 'complicated' decision based on Messi's workload. Messi has played every minute in 22 of 23 matches since April 2, with his lone absence in a 4-3 loss at home to FC Dallas on April 27. 'I know Leo Messi loves this league. I don't think there's been a player, or frankly just about anyone, who has done more for MLS than Leo Messi has,' Garber told USA TODAY Sports. 'But we have a long-standing policy that is related to participation for all players. And unfortunately, I had to enforce the policy. It was a difficult decision to make.' Mas said the club decided for Messi and Alba not to travel, considering they just completed a stretch of nine games in 35 days with an upcoming stint of 10 games in 34 days. Mas added he had communication with the league on Monday and Tuesday, but admitted talks between both sides 'wasn't handled ideally.' MLS did not announce Messi and Alba would miss the All-Star Game until roughly eight hours before the Wednesday, July 23 exhibition. 'Obviously, Lionel Messi is Lionel Messi. He is different. He has completely changed the economics of this league for every single club, every team, every sponsor, the league, media, etc. He's important. But at the end of the day, Lionel Messi wants to play in competitive matches,' Mas said. 'If he would have gone Wednesday, would have played maybe 15-30 minutes – great. But at the end of the day, league corporate sponsors are already taking advantage of Lionel Messi's presence in the league.' Mas believes the rule that will sideline his former FC Barcelona stars is 'frankly draconian,' and the All-Star Game puts the players in an 'untenable situation' to choose between participating in the exhibition and getting some much needed rest during the regular season. The All-Stars who started the exhibition were substituted after 30 minutes because most returned to regular-season play Friday. Messi's absence in the MLS All-Star Game and whether he would be disciplined for skipping the exhibition garnered much of the attention surrounding the league's annual showcase. 'It's not just for what he's done off the field, growing the overall popularity and awareness of the league. It's really what he's done on the field. His games are special moments. Every one of them is a must-see match, and it's that commitment what he does on the field that makes this decision so complicated,' Garber said of Messi. 'He's played more games than any one player this year. He's so committed to his club that the timing of the All-Star Game, the timing of the Club World Cup and their schedule, has him wanting to take a break. And I respect that. It was based on his commitment to his club, and I understand and respect his decision.' Garber reiterated to Mas that he will 'take a hard look at the rule moving forward to make sure it reflects the evolving realities of our league and its players.' 'I think the rule, it is going to change, but that's neither here nor there,' Mas added. 'Their reaction was as I expected, and they were extremely upset – both of them.'
