Pacquiao's comeback falls short against Barrios
But Pacquiao, in the end, fell just short on the judges' scorecards as Mario Barrios escaped with a majority draw to retain the WBC welterweight championship. Two judges scored the bout a draw, and judge Max DeLuca awarded Barrios a 115-113 victory.
The Associated Press scored the fight 115-113 in favor of Pacquiao.
"I thought I won the fight," Pacquiao said.
Barrios landed more total punches (120-101), according to Compubox, but Pacquiao had the edge in power shots (81-75).
Pacquiao, enshrined into the International Boxing Hall of Fame last month, was trying to break his record for the oldest welterweight champion. He was 40 when he emerged in 2019 split decision over Keith Thurman. This also was his first appearance in the ring in nearly four years for the 46-year-old Filipino, a loss by unanimous decision to Yordenis Ugás.
Barrios, a 30-year-old from San Antonio, was a-- -275 favorite at BetMGM Sportsbook. He hoped to bounce back from a split-decision draw on Nov. 15 against Abel Ramos, but didn't exactly come away with an emphatic victory in improving to 29-2-2. The heavily pro-Pacquiao crowd loudly booed the decision.
"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.
"His stamina is crazy. He's still strong as hell, and his timing is real. He's still a very awkward fighter to try to figure out."
Pacman (62-9-2) moved swiftly around the ring from the beginning, often looking more like the younger champion who captured 12 world titles in eight divisions. He began to take control in the seventh, landing several big left hands to win the following three rounds on two cards and two on the other.
But Barrios was the better fighter at the end, coming out more aggressive, knowing he might be in trouble with the judges. All three awarded Barrios each of the final three rounds.
"I didn't think the fight was getting away from me, but I knew I had to step it up to solidify a win," Barrios said.
Both sides would be interested in a rematch.
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