In his heavily criticized return to the ring against WBC welterweight titleholder Mario Barrios, Manny Pacquiao seemed poised to etch his name in the record books this past Saturday. However, the official scoring intervened.
Even though many ringside observers, including fellow fighters and online boxing experts, believed Pacquiao had secured a victory on the strength of his performance, his comeback after a four-year hiatus resulted in a disputed majority draw. This outcome allowed Barrios to depart the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas still holding his WBC championship.
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Two of the judges submitted scorecards reflecting a 114-114 stalemate, while the third judge favored Barrios with a 115-113 score.
A victory for Pacquiao, aged 46, would have marked him as the second-oldest boxer to ever claim a significant world title.
Pacquiao entered the contest as the underdog on BetMGM, facing an opponent 16 years younger.
The highly debated decision immediately sparked anger throughout the boxing community, with numerous figures expressing disagreement with the judges’ evaluations and suggesting that the Hall of Fame inductee was unjustly denied a momentous achievement.
View some of the reactions below, featuring comments from prominent figures such as Shakur Stevenson, Claressa Shields, and others.
For comprehensive coverage of Pacquiao vs. Barrios, including live results, round-by-round updates, and key moments from the Manny Pacquiao vs. Mario Barrios pay-per-view event, visit Uncrowned’s dedicated Pacquiao vs. Barrios page.
