Latest news with #PacMan
The Sun
2 hours ago
- Sport
- The Sun
‘I thought I won' – Manny Pacquiao left stunned after he's denied history-making win vs Mario Barrios with crowd furious
MANNY PACQUIAO was left stunned after being denied a history-making victory against Mario Barrios - and the crowd were even more raging. The 46-year-old Filipino, making his return to the ring four years after retiring, was held to a majority draw at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. 3 3 One judge scored the fight 115-113 in Barrios' favour, while the other two scored it 114-114. Pacquiao was roared on by a pumping crowd as he took on younger and far fresher 30-year-old Barrios for the WBC welterweight world title. A Hall of Fame slot had already been secured, but further history was on the line with the chance to become the first from the inductees to win a world title. And with a place in the record books up for grabs, 'Pac Man' went toe-to-toe with Barrios, and many believed he did enough to win the bout. Pacquiao, who has won 12 world titles across eight weight divisions, was ahead on the judges' scorecards going into the 10th round but lost the last three. As a result, Barrios retained his titles but the iconic multi-weight champion, who said he just did two months training, wants a rematch. A confused Pacquiao said: "I thought I won the fight. It was a close fight. My opponent was very tough. It was a wonderful fight." Asked if he wants a rematch, he said: "Yes, of course." And while the crowd booed the decision, fans online were also fuming with the result, with many making their voices heard. One said: " Manny Pacquiao won that fight with ease. These judges are hot garbage." A second raged: "Pac Man was robbed." And another said: "Majority Draw is such BS. Pacquiao won that fight. Barrios even knew it." Barrios, who was a -275 favourite, hoped to bounce back from a split-decision draw in November against Abel Ramos, but didn't exactly come away with an convincing win in improving to 29-2-2. Meanwhile, Pacquiao's record sits at 62-9-2. Pacquiao, who had last fought in an exhibition last year, was enshrined into the International Boxing Hall of Fame last month. He was also trying to break his own record for oldest welterweight champion. Pacquiao was 40 when he emerged in 2019 split decision over Keith Thurman. From 2016 to 2022, Pacquiao also served as a senator in the Philippines, where he ran for president in 2022.
Evening Standard
a day ago
- Sport
- Evening Standard
How to watch Pacquiao vs Barrios: TV channel and live stream for fight today
'PacMan' has already cemented himself as a legend in this sport. Winning 12 world titles across eight weight divisions throughout his career and despite it being almost exactly six years to the day since his last professional win, he is not worried about his reputation.
Irish Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Times
His political career over, 46-year-old Manny Pacquiao returns to the ring for a world title shot
'Not only boxing, but the world would be better off if every division had a Manny Pacquiao . We'd have peace in the Middle East and global warming would cool off.' That was the tongue-in-cheek appraisal of Manny Pacquiao from HBO 's legendary boxing commentator Larry Merchant in 2006. By the time he made the remarks, Merchant had practically been converted into a disciple of the Filipino fighter. Pacquaio, nicknamed 'Pac-Man', seemed to take the advice literally in the years that followed, winning world titles in a record eight weight classes. He also took Merchant at his word outside the ring, to varying degrees of success and failure. It's not to say self-belief is a bad thing; Pacquiao started life in poverty, selling cigarettes on the streets, only to become a global sports icon and one of the most famous people in the Philippines. In a career of 72 bouts, he won 62 and reportedly banked a nine-figure sum for his fight with Floyd Mayweather in 2015. READ MORE All the same, the confidence that helped him achieve glory in the ring has led Pacquiao into some embarrassing side shows. He's been the star of box-office flops and launched a music career that included strained and cringy performances on Jimmy Kimmel's late-night show. He also had a stint as player-coach of a basketball team in the Philippines. His most successful side hustle outside of boxing, though, has undoubtedly been politics. Pacquiao's political career was initially promising, due to his fame and charitable reputation. His successful campaigns for the house of representatives in 2010 and then the senate six years later proved that he had plenty of support from voters. This period wasn't all cream and peaches, though. Critics at home lambasted him for missing senate sessions, as he continued to fight across the Pacific. Nike withdrew its sponsorship of Pacquiao in 2016 after he described people in same-sex relationships as 'worse than animals'. His boxing career started to slow up around that time too, with four losses between 2012 and 2017. His final fight came in 2021, a unanimous decision loss against Cuba's Yordenis Ugás. With the presidential election the following year, Pacquiao retired from boxing to focus solely on politics . Four years on, he says he has retired from politics to focus solely on boxing. TGB Promotions president Tom Brown (middle) looks on as Manny Pacquiao (left) and WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios pose ahead of their fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Photograph:For all his fame and popularity, Pacquiao never stood a chance in the presidential race, finishing third, 28 million votes behind the victorious Bongbong Marcos. On the campaign trail, Pacquiao criticised both Bongbong and his old ally, incumbent president Rodrigo Duterte, who was jailed and has since been transferred to the Hague for crimes against humanity. Pacquiao later joined Bongbong's party for the 2025 senate election, but failed to regain his seat, a disaster that has left him totally adrift politically. It has been 24 years since Pacquiao first appeared on the radar of most boxing fans. The year was 2001 and he comprehensively defeated the highly-rated junior featherweight champion Lehlo Ledwaba. Merchant was also on commentary duty that night and admitted: 'I had never seen him, I frankly had never heard of him. But I've seen and heard of him now, and I want to see him again.' In the following years, Pacquiao transformed from an athletic southpaw reliant on a powerful left cross, into a hard-punching speedster, with wonderful footwork and relentless combination punching. Even if his defence was shaky, in his prime years he stopped great fighters like Ricky Hatton, Oscar De La Hoya and Miguel Cotto. He sold tens of millions of pay-per-view subscriptions in the US along the way. It's around 15 years since that period, but his name still holds weight in the sport. From a promotional perspective, his opponent this Saturday, WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios (29-2-1) might as well be anyone, such is the difference in popularity between the two fighters. Barrios even said it was 'cool to know he (Pacquiao) knew who I was'. With four recognised world titles on offer in every division, there's usually at least one champion who could be seen as easy pickings. and At welterweight, that's Barrios. And that's exactly why he's been chosen for the comeback fight. Still, Barrios gave Ugás an absolute pasting in 2023 and has only lost twice, both to top-class fighters. He is also 16 years younger than Pacquiao and there is no such thing as an easy mark in boxing when you're 46. That age disadvantage is highlighted further by the fact that Pacquiao was already the oldest welterweight champion in history four years ago, before the Ugás fight. Manny Pacquiao's fight against Floyd Mayweather in 2015 was reportedly the most lucrative in boxing history. Photograph:The wider problem is that Mayweather and Pacquiao remain the last two superstars in American boxing; which explains why Pacquiao has waltzed back into a world title shot immediately. Amazon Prime are showing the fight on pay-per-view at a price of $80 (€69), but even if they do good numbers it's not a long-term solution. It's just another fight where boxing seems to wake from its slumber, only to hit the snooze button right after. It is 30 years ago this month since a 16-year-old Pacquiao recorded his first knockout victory in the ring. For comparison, the teenage sensation of that summer in Ireland was Jason Sherlock, who won the All-Ireland with Dublin aged 19. There's not much chance of him pulling on a jersey now. That kind of thing only happens in the wild west of sport. If Pacquiao gets badly beaten by Barrios, then it's a sad ending for a truly great pugilist. There's no reason to think that it would stop the ever-increasing frequency of freakshow fights either (see Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul). Barrios is decent, but has already proved to be below the top level, and someone else will be along to pick him off soon enough if Pac-Man can't. On the other hand, if Pacquiao performs reasonably well, or even wins, then the truly elite fighters around that weight could start to circle, looking to put a legend on their CV and flat on his back. WBC welterweight championship : Manny Pacquiao vs Mario Barrios, MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Sunday, 4am Irish time, Amazon Prime
Otago Daily Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Museum hosts exhibition blending arcade gaming, te ao Maori
''Arca Arcade: Round One'' exhibition designer Preston McNeil amid a colourful array of arcade machine-inspired art at Tūhura Otago Museum. PHOTO: GREGOR RICHARDSON Space Invaders, Pac Man, Asteroids, Donkey Kong — if you were a child in the 1980s or '90s, the warm glow of a spacies machine at the local fish and chip shop or dairy was alluring, almost intoxicating. Now, that atmosphere is being reimagined through the lens of contemporary design and te ao Māori in a new exhibition at Tūhura Otago Museum, titled "Arca Arcade: Round One". Exhibition designer Preston McNeil, of Wellington, said it was a bold fusion of industrial design, retro technology and cultural storytelling. It featured custom-built, wall-mounted machines, adorned with original artwork from some of New Zealand's top contemporary artists, including Gina Kiel, Flox, Otis Frizzell, Joe Sheehan and Otis Chamberlain. Visitors can play the games housed inside each uniquely designed cabinet, making it as interactive as it is artistic. Mr McNeil said the exhibition was believed to be a world first in arcade machine design because it integrated carved pounamu and whakairo-inspired design elements. He had wanted to create something that honoured the history of arcade gaming and the richness of contemporary New Zealand art. The result was a powerful collision of classic video game culture with te ao Māori — a celebration of play that was deeply rooted in place and identity, he said. "These machines are a love letter to every kid who dropped their last 20cents into a game they knew they couldn't win, but tried anyway. "Blending those memories with the depth and craft of Māori design has created something I never imagined I'd be able to build. "And it's amazing to finally bring it to the South Island." The exhibition opens at the museum tonight, and it is the first time it has been held in the South Island. Tūhura Otago Museum exhibitions and design head Craig Scott said the museum partnered with the Centre of Digital Excellence (Code) to present the exhibition, in the hope of showing young people what was possible when design, technology and culture collided. "This is about inspiring, as much as it is about fun nostalgia." Mr McNeil will give a free public talk at the museum tonight, sharing insights into the creative process, the challenges of building playable art, and how he collaborated with the artists to bring each machine to life. The exhibition runs from July 19 to September 21.
The Verge
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Verge
A gritty Pac-Man reboot makes for surprisingly solid Metroid-style action
Shadow Labyrinth didn't make the best first impression, though I'm not talking about the game itself. The concept of a gritty reboot of Pac-Man first reared its strange head in Secret Level, an anthology that turned notable video games into animated shorts that mostly felt like extended commercials. And that's exactly what the episode 'Circle,' which reimagined Pac-Man as a blood-soaked survival story, turned out to be. But as off-putting as the episode was, it turns out that the premise actually works for a Metroid-style action game. For those who didn't watch Secret Level, Shadow Labyrinth puts you in the role of an unnamed, hooded swordmaster, who awakens to find himself inside some sort of dark alien labyrinth. He's greeted by a floating drone named Puck, who serves as both a guide and a partner to survive in this treacherous world. Puck, of course, is Pac-Man. For the most part, the game plays a lot like a typical Metroidvania. It's a side-scrolling game that's heavy on action, like Metroid Dread, and as you defeat bosses and collect gold, you'll slowly expand your arsenal of skills, which opens up the game further. The twisting, maze-like map is full of dead ends that you can't explore until you get the right ability, which include staples like a double jump and grappling hook. You can also craft various upgrades, both permanent and temporary, so you can customize the character to your liking. It's a satisfying loop of exploration, combat, and problem-solving (usually involving some kind of platforming sequence), punctuated by tense, elaborate boss fights that depend a lot on pattern memorization. I could be describing a lot of other games here, but there are a few elements that make Shadow Labyrinth unique. And it mostly has to do with Puck. Scattered throughout the labyrinth are rails that Puck can ride on, sort of like Pac-Man moving his way through a classic arcade maze. It's reminiscent of Samus' morph ball ability, except it's relegated to predetermined areas of the map. Later on, there are actual Pac-Man mazes to play through, too, complete with pellets and ghosts to eat. The game is at its best when you're quickly swapping between Puck and the swordmaster, either to navigate a tricky platforming sequence or defeat enemies. In one early boss battle, I was able to use a rail on the ceiling to avoid projectiles, and then drop behind the enemy for some quick sneak attacks. Early on, Puck and the swordmaster gain the ability to temporarily fuse together to create a power-up that's sort of like a mech suit, which you can use to devastate most enemies and even avoid environmental hazards. Oh, and when you're a mech, you can eat your enemies to gain materials needed for those important unlocks. One of the nice things about Shadow Labyrinth is that, unlike the animated short that preceded it, it doesn't overdo it with the grim tone. It can get a little bloody when you're slicing through creatures, but it's not gratuitous. In fact, much like Dread, the oppressive tone creates an interesting kind of tension, one that makes the rare moments of respite feel especially welcome. That said, the cutscenes are self-serious and convoluted, and there are silly moments where Puck becomes giant and eats the corpses of bosses, but these are mostly easy to ignore if all you want to do is explore a complex map, Metroid-style. That's really what the game offers. The combat is solid, the platforming is challenging, and the bosses are exciting. And thankfully, the tone mostly doesn't intrude on the experience, while the Pac-Man theme brings just enough new to add an interesting twist for those well-versed in Metroidvanias. Secret Level may have been a commercial, but it was a pretty poor one: it missed what actually makes Shadow Labyrinth worth playing. Shadow Labyrinth launches on July 18th on the PS5, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
