After a four-year hiatus from fighting, boxing legend Manny Pacquiao, the Filipino icon, returned to the ring at age 46 to face Mario Barrios at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

A draw that many felt was a victory for Pacquiao

The fight went the full 12 rounds, with the decision left to the judges’ scorecards, resulting in a draw that allowed Barrios to retain the WBC welterweight title.

In his post-fight interview, Pacquiao himself stated that he “believed” he had won the bout, a sentiment that surprised many boxing fans.

Those who witnessed the battle in Sin City were not satisfied with the judges’ decision, which declared a majority draw with scorecards of 115-113, 114-114, and 114-114, despite the thrilling spectacle both fighters delivered in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Manny Pacquiao hadn’t fought to a draw since 2004, when his bout against Mexican Juan Manuel Márquez ended with the same outcome.

How did the fight between Manny Pacquiao and Mario Barrios unfold?

Manny Pacquiao shone once again in the ring with a dominant performance against Mexican-American Mario Barrios, in a bout that kept fans on the edge of their seats and proved that the Filipino remains an elite boxing warrior.

From the first round, Pacman set the pace with his trademark aggression, landing straight lefts that tested Barrios’ defense. Although the American countered in the second and third rounds with effective jabs that slowed the Asian’s offense, Pacquiao never fully lost control of the fight.

In the fourth and fifth rounds, the former world champion found openings to punish with hooks and crosses to the body of the titleholder, who adopted a more conservative approach, banking on Pacquiao losing steam as the rounds progressed.

But that plan didn’t work.

In the sixth and seventh rounds, Pacquiao took charge at close range, capitalizing on Barrios’ passivity, as the latter relied heavily on jabs. In the eighth round, both fighters engaged in an exchange, and it was here that Manny Pacquiao showcased his best, landing combinations of overhand punches to the head and soft spots.

With growing confidence, the Filipino did damage with straight punches to the face in the ninth round, while Barrios appeared to have no answer for the veteran champion’s power and speed.

Barrios responded timidly in the tenth, throwing uppercuts and overhand punches that energized the crowd, but Pacquiao stood his ground and met the challenge head-on. The pace set by the Filipino was overwhelming in the eleventh round, where the Mexican-American could no longer keep up and took consistent punishment to the body.

In the twelfth and final round, Barrios attempted a last-ditch offensive with more accurate punches, but the reaction came too late to change the fight’s outcome.