Manny Pacquiao appeared to have made history in his much-maligned comeback bout against WBC champion Mario Barrios. But then the judges took it away.
Manny Pacquiao appeared to have made history on Saturday in his much-maligned comeback bout against WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios. But then the judges took it away.
Despite winning on the majority of scorecards from both his fellow fighters and boxing analysts online, Pacquiao's return from a four-year retirement ended in a controversial majority draw, helping Barrios to leave Las Vegas' MGM Grand Garden Arena with his WBC title intact.
Two judges scored the contest a 114-114 draw, while one judge had it 115-113 for Barrios.
Had the 46-year-old Pacquiao won, he would've made history as the second-oldest fighter in boxing history to capture a major world title.
Pacquiao was a significant underdog on BetMGM coming into the bout against a man 16 years his junior.
The contentious result ignited instant outrage across the boxing world, with many of Pacquiao's peers decrying the judges' assessments and feeling as if the Hall of Famer was robbed of a historic moment.
Mannnn 😂😂😂 OG PAC-MAN in here trying to Whoop Mario’s Barrios ass 😂😂!
— Claressa Gwoat Shields (@Claressashields) July 20, 2025
MAJORITY DRAW !!!!
— Claressa Gwoat Shields (@Claressashields) July 20, 2025
Manny looking 26!! Not 46!! Turning it back. Manny, Manny, Manny 😍
— George "Ferocious" Kambosos Jr (@georgekambosos) July 20, 2025
I thought he won it!!!! Either way at 46 your an absolute legend. An inspiration. And an amazing human being. There will never be another @MannyPacquiao EVER!! pic.twitter.com/V4BUxkm1iM
— George "Ferocious" Kambosos Jr (@georgekambosos) July 20, 2025
PAC man dominating to me
— Shakur Stevenson (@ShakurStevenson) July 20, 2025
Floyd bout to be world champ next
— Shakur Stevenson (@ShakurStevenson) July 20, 2025
Decision was crazy
— Shakur Stevenson (@ShakurStevenson) July 20, 2025
Aye y’all are we gonna hear “split decision” 🤔🤔
— ShowtimeShawn Porter (@ShowtimeShawnP) July 20, 2025
Yea I knew the BS was comin. I’m sick!!
— ShowtimeShawn Porter (@ShowtimeShawnP) July 20, 2025
Pac-Man won
— Stephen Fulton Jr (@coolboysteph) July 20, 2025
Okay ... begrudgingly, I watched #pacquiaovsbarrios. Observations:
— Lou DiBella🥊 (@loudibella) July 20, 2025
• Fight was sub- mediocre and close.
•Barrios was horrendous and should be ashamed.
•Manny is a 🐐 and a fighter to his core, but this fight meant/proved nothing.
•What was the purpose; if it was to get to…
And one final observation: the fight was indeed close, but Manny Pacquiao losing like that, when the "champ" seemed to shit the bed and every person watching was rooting for a seemingly plausible Manny UD, was another meh look for #boxing. https://t.co/yiAwyvLO8W
— Lou DiBella🥊 (@loudibella) July 20, 2025
115-113 Manny Pacquiao, could be wider. But for me, he's done it. Brilliant performance at 46. #PacquiaoBarrios
— EverythingBoxing | Darshan Desai (@EverythingBoxi2) July 20, 2025
Really feels like Manny Pacquiao just got robbed of a legendary win befitting of a legendary career#PacquiaoBarrios
— Alan Dawson (@AlanDawsonSport) July 20, 2025
We go to the cards in #PacquiaoBarrios:
— Dan Rafael (@DanRafael1) July 20, 2025
115-113 Barrios, 114-114 x 2 -- a draw. Barrios retains the WBC welterweight title. That's just absolutely awful. Beyond awful. Complete fuckeration. #boxing
You dont have to hurt a guy to win a round. He played with him. https://t.co/gKbotNps3k
— Dan Rafael (@DanRafael1) July 20, 2025
Category: General Sports
