Pacquiao, the 46-year-old Filipino boxing legend, stepped back into the ring for the first time since his loss to Yordenis Ugas in August 2021. Many worried about Pacquiao's return due to his age and recent record. But he proved he could still hang going the full 12 rounds with the WBC welterweight champion Barrios.
The fight resulted' bout a majority draw. One score115-113 for Barrios, while the other two scored it 114-114.
Bradley, who fought Pacquiao three times over four years, had some strong words about the match. In an interview, he said:
"It wasn't even a fight, it was a bona fide sparring session, that's what it was. I would love to see both of these guys contracts."
This comment suggests Bradley questions whether the fight was truly competitive.
Despite his criticism, Bradley agreed with the judges' decision:
"The fight was a draw. I don't think either of these guys deserved the win. Barrios is the champion still but he's not going to have that belt for very long. A lot of people are complaining about the judges, the judging was spot on. The best judges in boxing. If I scored it, I would have scored it for Barrios, but the draw was perfect."
Pacquiao's return at 46 has certainly got people talking. His last victory came in July 2019 against Keith Thurman, showing he can still compete at a high level despite his age.
Another respected boxing analyst, Teddy Atlas, also weighed in on the fight. He revealed his own scorecard after watching the bout again, though the details of his scoring weren't provided.
The draw leaves both fighters in an interesting position. Barrios keeps his WBC welterweight title, but as Bradley noted, he might face tough challenges to hold onto it. For Pacquiao, the result shows he can still compete with top fighters, even in. It's unclear what's next for either boxer, but this match will certainly fuel discussions in the boxing world for some time.