By REYNALD MAGALLON
Everything felt familiar – the cheers and the charismatic smile during the ring walk, the speed, the rhythm, the timing and the power above the ring– as if the 46-year-old legend never left.
But even if it seemed like Manny Pacquiao had done enough to hold his ground and win against the younger champion, Father Time came out still undefeated.
The Filipino boxing Hall of Famer fell short on taking the belt from World Boxing Council (WBC) welterweight champion Mario Barrios after settling with a majority draw decision on Sunday, July 20 (Manila time) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Though Pacquiao was obviously bothered by the length and heft of Barrios, the footwork and the speed remained the veterans calling card though not enough to convince the judges who scored the bout 115-113 for Barrios and two 114-114 for a draw.
“I thought I won the fight but it’s a close fight,” said Pacquiao during the post-fight interview.
He certainly has the reason to believe so.
Even the Associated Press – the respected news agency – thinks so.
It scored the fight 115-113 in favor of Pacquiao.
While Barrios landed more total punches (120-101), it added that Compubox showed that Pacquiao produced more power shots, 81-75.
So no wonder, the heavily pro-Pacquiao crowd loudly booed the decision.
Barrios, a 30-year-old from San Antonio, was a -275 favorite at BetMGM Sportsbook. He hoped to bounce back from a split-decision draw on Nov. 15 against Abel Ramos, but didn’t exactly come away with an emphatic victory in improving to 29-2-2.
“It was an honor to share the ring with him,” Barrios said. “This is by far the biggest event I’ve had to date, and we came in here and left everything in the ring. I have nothing but respect for Manny.
‘CRAZY STAMINA’
“His stamina is crazy. He’s still strong as hell and his timing is real. He’s still a very awkward fighter to try to figure out.”
Pacquiao brought the fight to Barrios, especially in the early rounds, where he tried to take control of the contest.
Seemingly in a way better condition – far from the version of Pacquiao that fought and lost to Yordenis Ugas four years ago, the only eight-division champion were actually connecting on combinations and the signature whistling left straight.
Pacquiao, however, slowed down in the middle rounds, allowing Barrios to gain confidence after his jabs, thanks to the superior reach advantage pierce through the Filipinos defense. Barrios even staggered Pacquiao with booming right though the Filipino managed to retaliate with combinations.
Just when it looked like the 30-year-old American was taking over the fight, Pacquiao, with the surprising stamina and grit for his age, traded big blows with Barrios in the championship rounds but was not enough to sway the judges to his favor
With the outcome, Pacquiao, who returned to boxing after four years of inactivity, failed to make history as the first ever Hall of Famer to become a world champion as well as resetting his record of being the oldest ever welterweight champion.
Pacquiao dropped to a 63-8-3 record with 39 knockouts.In nearly making another history, Pacquiao was able to silence his doubters.
Barrios, who could reportedly earn from US$500,000 to $1 million, doubled his jabs to 45 against Pacquiao’s 20, landing a total of 120 punches compared to the other corner with 101.
”Of course I’d like a rematch. I want to leave a legacy and make the Filipino people proud,” said Pacquiao. (With reports from AP and June Navarro)
