On July 19 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Manny Pacquiao (62-8-3, 39 KOs) returned at 46 to face WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios (29-2-2, 18 KOs). The fight ultimately ended in a majority draw, with one judge scoring it 115-113 for Barrios, and the other two scoring it 114-114. It was a main event that saw “Pac Man” appear busier throughout much of the contest. Barrios stayed composed, landing the cleaner punches and enjoyed a strong last round. Retired two-weight world champion Andre Ward shared his verdict on the bout via his personal Instagram account.
Despite differing opinions on who won, it’s undeniable that Pacquiao exceeded expectations with his performance. When looking back on the fight, Ward said: “I don’t know, man. I thought Manny won that. I thought Manny won that fight, bro. I know he lost the last round. I think on all the judges’ scorecards, that was the difference maker.
“I thought Manny won the fight, bro. I thought he did more. I thought Manny did more, man. What y’all think? Manny won the fight. Wasn’t by a lot, but it was enough. I thought Manny did more in certain rounds and stole rounds. It was some close rounds, but I thought Manny did what he’s supposed to do,” said Ward.
Reflecting Pacquiao’s performance: “But man, salute to the old man, man. To get through a long training camp like that, it’s a win just getting to the fight with me that age. Getting through sparring three days a week, that’s a lot. All the extra stuff you got to train the conditioning, all that stuff. But then, bro, to get in there with a young fighter in his prime and to even have a discussion on who is close, who could have went either way. Man, saulte to Manny, bro. If anybody could do it, it’s Manny Pacquiao,” added Ward.
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