MANILA – Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao’s comeback fight after a four-year hiatus has ended into a majority draw.
Despite turning back the clock with an impressive showing, Pacquiao settled for a majority draw against WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios on Saturday night (Sunday in the Philippines) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Judge Max DeLuca scored it 115-113 in favor of Barrios, while Steve Weisfeld and Tim Cheatham gave it an even 114-114, nothing the Mexican-American fighter’s surge in the last three rounds.
“I thought I won the fight. It was good fight. Barrios is a good fighter,” Pacquiao said in a post-match interview. “I am trying to find a way to finish him off (in the middle round) but my opponent is very tough, he is not careless.”
Barrios, who came from a majority draw in his first defense against Abel Ramos last year, used a calculated approach spending most of the time using his longer reach to tag Pacquiao with his piston-like jab.
But the eight-division world boxing champion Pacquiao came prepared for it, using side-to-side movements to cut the distance and trying to invite Barrios into an exchange.
From rounds seventh to ninth, Pacquiao would apply constant pressure against the much-taller champion, who retaliated with body shots in the last three rounds to salvage the fight.
“I think so I will fight again,” Pacquiao remarked, noting that he is willing to give Barrios a rematch. “Key was discipline, and hard work. For us old boxers, discipline and hard work. We can still fight.”
With the outcome, the 46-year-old Pacquiao’s record dropped to 68-9-2 win-loss-draw ring record, including 39 stoppage wins, while Barrios has 29-3-1 mark, with 18 knockout wins.
Meanwhile, former world champion Mark Magsayo and Olympian Eumir Felix Marcial secured impressive victories against separate foes in the undercard matches.
Magsayo banked on a fiery start before pulling off a 100-92, 100-92, 98-92 unanimous decision victory over Mexican Jorge Mata in a 10-round non-title super-featherweight bout.
With the victory, the 30-year-old Magsayo improved to a 28-2-0 win-loss-draw ring record, including 18 stoppage wins, while Mata dropped to a 21-3-2 record, with 13 victories by stoppages.
Marcial (6-0-0, 4 KOs), on the other hand, made a triumphant professional boxing return with a third round stoppage victory over American fighter Bernard Joseph (11-3-1, 5 KOs).
Marcial started to dominate Joseph in the second round with a cracking right hook before he finished off his late replacement opponent midway through the third period with a right straight./PN
