Pacquiao fails in bid for boxing greatness

EIGHT-division world champion and boxing’s ‘Hall of Fame’ member Emmanuel ‘Manny Pacman’ Pacquiao failed in his bid for boxing immortality after settling for a controversial ‘majority draw’ against World Boxing Council (WBC) Welterweight Division champion, Mario Barrios, on Sunday, July 19 (July 20 in Manila) at the MGM Grand Casino in Las Vegas.

Pacquiao, 46, had to go the rigors of the full 12-rounds championship fight against Barrios of Mexico who is 16 years his junior at 31 years old.

Pacquiao’s prestige in the boxing world may have influenced the decision of the 3 judges on scores of 115-113 in favor of Barrios and 114 for the two other judges, resulting to the majority draw decision (at least two judges must score in favor of a fighter to claim victory).

Pacquiao showed only flashes of his former self in the later rounds but absorbed crisp jabs from Barrios throughout the fight.

Still, his lasting the full distance earned him the respect of the crowd as most people believed he would run out of gas in the latter rounds similar to his situation when he fought and lost to Yordenis Ugas of Cuba for the WBA (World Boxing Association) Welterweight crown in 2021.

Had Pacquiao beaten Barrios, he would make history as only the third “oldest boxer” to win a world title after George Foreman and Bernard Hopkins.

Foreman became the world’s oldest heavyweight champion at nearly 46 years old after knocking out Michael Moorer, 26, in 1994, for the latter’s WBA crown.

Hopkins, at 49 years old, became the oldest world champion in the light heavyweight division when he dethroned WBA champion Beibut Shumenov of Kazakhstan via unanimous decision in 2014.

Interviewed right after the fight, Pacquiao expressed his willingness for a rematch with Barrios and excused his underwhelming performance on his alleged “short” preparation that he claimed only lasted two months. Previously. Pacquiao said his preparation for a fight takes at least 3 to 4 months.

Pacquiao also excused the distraction to his preparation to the midterm elections where he ran and lost in his comeback bid for senator under the administration ticket.

The draw with Barrios, akin to losing in his bid for another boxing crown, while earning amazement from the public, nevertheless cast a doubt on his own self-confidence—and his chances of becoming a world champion once again.

Prior to the fight, Pacquiao told the media his long layoff from boxing, lasting over 4 years since his defeat by Ugas, is even “good” for his body and that his age would never be a factor in the fight with Barrios.

His unremarkable performance, however, told of a different story.