Manny Pacquiao's return to the ring ended in a surprise draw against Mario Barrios on Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The 46-year-old Filipino legend showed he still has what it takes to compete at the highest level after a four-year break from professional boxing.
The judges couldn't separate the two fighters, with two scorecards reading 114-114 and one favoring Barrios 115-113. But not everyone agrees with this outcome.
Shawn Porter, a former two-time welterweight champion, shared his thoughts on the fight in an interview with Fight Hub TV. Porter didn't mince words about his disagreement with the official decision.
"No I didn't agree with the draw, I thought Manny won, thought he won hands down. I thought the activity was just hard to give Mario rounds you know, I thought it was hard to give Mario rounds … No body work for Mario, he wasn't consistently going to the body and I thought he left a lot in the ring, he left a lot in the corner."
Porter pointed out that Pacquiao's high activity level made it difficult to award rounds to Barrios. He also noted that the reigning WBC welterweight champion failed to target Pacquiao's body consistently and didn't make the most of his opportunities.
Despite the unexpected result, Pacquiao's performance against a younger, current champion was impressive. His trainer, Freddie Roach, has confirmed that the boxing icon will continue his career and is interested in a rematch with Barrios.
The possibility of a second fight between Pacquiao and Barrios remains up in the air. Fans will have to wait and see if these two warriors will step into the ring again to settle the score.
More details about the fight can be found on ESPN's website, where they break down the exciting clash between the returning legend and the current champion.
