Pacquiao falls short of history in draw with Barrios

LAS VEGAS -- More than 24 years aft Manny Pacquiao made his stateside debut astatine the MGM Grand Garden Arena by upsetting Lehlo Ledwaba for the IBF inferior featherweight title, the Filipino sensation attempted to marque past arsenic the oldest combatant to triumph the welterweight title astatine the precise arena wherever it each started.

But Pacquiao, 46, fell abbreviated successful his effort erstwhile his combat with WBC champion Mario Barrios ended successful a bulk gully Saturday night. Barrios retained his rubric arsenic a result, and Pacquiao near Las Vegas bare handed.

The effect -- with 2 judges scoring it 114-114 and 1 justice scoring it 115-113 for Barrios -- fell level successful beforehand of a capableness assemblage of 13,107, astir of whom were Pacquiao fans.

Pacquiao (62-8-3, 39 KOs) ended a four-year status a period aft being inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame and started disconnected rapidly against Barrios, who is 16 years his junior. The aboriginal rounds saw a much vintage mentation of Pacquiao, a acold outcry from the sluggish mentation who mislaid a determination to Yordenis Ugas successful 2021. Boxing's lone eight-division satellite champion brought the assemblage to beingness by launching into his trademark offense, darting his near manus betwixt Barrios' gloves and rolling successful with combinations.

But Father Time appeared to person his mode with Pacquiao, who slowed down by the mediate rounds.

Heading into the fight, Barrios (29-2-2, 18 KOs) had lone mislaid to Gervonta Davis and Keith Thurman. However, his past 2 outings against Abel Ramos (draw) and Fabian Maidana (win) were acold from impressive.

Barrios was hand-picked by Pacquiao for his instrumentality combat and was granted a rubric changeable owed to the WBC's rules stating that a erstwhile champion could petition a rubric combat aft coming retired of retirement. He astir pulled it off, but Barrios clawed his mode backmost into the combat aft watching his hostile get disconnected to a accelerated start.

Pacquiao would summon the vigor to occurrence his combinations but was intelligibly tiring successful the 2nd fractional arsenic Barrios did conscionable capable to person the judges, allowing him to clasp his title.

Afterward, Pacquiao and Barrios agreed that a rematch should happen, which would springiness Pacquiao different changeable astatine making history.