Mario Barrios: Manny Pacquiao was 'very explosive' and 'very tricky,' but 'I won the fight'

Yahoo

5 days ago

"'PacMan' is back," Manny Pacquiao declared Saturday in the bowels of the MGM Grand Garden Arena following his controversial majority draw with Mario Barrios.
Barrios retained his WBC welterweight title in a contentious night in Las Vegas after two judges scored his fight with Pacquiao as a 114-114 draw, while a third judge had Barrios as a 115-113 winner.
The decision was subject to significant criticism online, as many observers believed that Pacquiao, 46, had done enough to become the second-oldest world champion in boxing history.
Both Pacquiao and Barrios stated afterward that they thought they'd won the contest, with the defending champion crediting his strong finish — Barrios swept the final three rounds on all three of the judges' scorecards — as the reason why.
"I thought after the 12 rounds, I won the fight like 8-4," Pacquiao said at Saturday's post-fight press conference. "That's my analysis for the fight. I'm surprised with the announcement that it's a draw. I did my best in the ring."
"I felt like I won the fight, and I feel like the last three rounds really solidified that," Barrios said. "But you never know what some people see or are looking for in the fights."
With the controversial ending to the fight, there will be much clamor for a rematch. Barrios confirmed that he will defend his title against Pacquiao again if that's what the legendary eight-division champion wants. Pacquiao similarly voiced his desire for a rematch.
"[I have] no hesitation [about a rematch]," Barrios said. "I feel like I don't have anything left to prove. I feel like if he wanted to run it back, that would be completely his choice, but I'm with it if that's what he wants."
The fight came about after Pacquiao lost a Philippine Senatorial election in May, which allowed him to return to boxing. Pacquiao, who hadn't trained and competed in four years, only had two months to prepare for the bout due to the aforementioned election.
"For four years I [didn't] have a fight, and training for two months is not enough," Pacquiao said. "I started late because of [the] election in the Philippines. For those two months [of] training, I disciplined myself. [I focused] on nothing [else], just training alone. I'm so happy with my performance for two months [of] training and no fight for four years."
"In a fight like that, I want three months or four months [of] training, but it just happened that I was in [an] election in the Philippines. I'm campaigning, so I'm so busy — that's why I [started] late."
Barrios' performance appeared peculiar on the night. He allowed a man 16 years his senior to push him back and dictate the pace. The WBC champion explained, though, that Pacquiao was still a force to be reckoned with in the ring.
"It wasn't necessarily about respect, it was just that he still has a lot of crack for his age," Barrios said. "He was very explosive, he was very tricky, and I wasn't trying to make a mistake by overcommitting on a shot that I wasn't sure of."
Pacquiao confirmed that his fight with Barrios wasn't a one-off and that he will now continue to compete against the best that the sport has to offer — or had to offer a decade ago.
"It's hard to talk about the fighter who retired already. If he comes out and goes 'sign the contract,' [then] we'll fight," Pacquiao said of a potential Floyd Mayweather rematch. "Let's fight again, if he wants. I have no problem with that. I'm active now. I don't pick my opponent, I fight them all in my weight division."
When Pacquiao and Mayweather shared the ring for the first time in 2015, it was the richest fight in boxing history. In the ring, however, it was a disappointment, with Mayweather using his skills to box to a comfortable decision win. Pacquiao told Uncrowned earlier in the week that he hopes a Mayweather rematch can deliver the excitement that their first meeting promised.
Pacquiao's legacy as an eight-division, 12-time world champion is unquestionable. Whether it's in the ring or in politics, the Hall of Fame boxer wants to be remembered for his greatness for a very long time.
"Giving inspiration and [helping] other people. That's my heart. I want to create a legacy that I can leave behind when I'm gone because we're not forever in this world, we're just passing by," Pacquiao concluded.