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

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

Yahoo5 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.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

CC Sabathia's car breaks down on way to Cooperstown for Baseball Hall of Fame induction
CC Sabathia's car breaks down on way to Cooperstown for Baseball Hall of Fame induction

Yahoo

time11 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

CC Sabathia's car breaks down on way to Cooperstown for Baseball Hall of Fame induction

CC Sabathia's 19-year Major League ride toward baseball's Hall of Fame appears to have been a smoother one than the actual drive he made to Cooperstown for this weekend's induction. Heading to Cooperstown with his family for Sunday's festivities, Sabathia's car apparently broke down on the side of the highway, leaving the New York Yankees great and his family temporarily stranded. Sabathia posted a photo (with laughing emojis) on X, formerly Twitter, of himself, his wife Amber and their children on July 24 at 8:22 p.m. Sabathia posted the words: 'Car broke down on the way to Cooperstown. Anyone headed that way?' The road sign in the photo showed Route 17 West in upstate New York. Sabathia later posted at 11:02 p.m. that he and his family made it to Cooperstown: And on Friday, July 25 at 10:47 a.m., Sabathia posted a photo of the Cooperstown grounds where he will be speaking Sunday: This article originally appeared on CC Sabathia car breaks down on way to Cooperstown for Hall of Fame induction

First image of Christian Gonzalez facing Stefon Diggs at Patriots camp
First image of Christian Gonzalez facing Stefon Diggs at Patriots camp

Yahoo

time11 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

First image of Christian Gonzalez facing Stefon Diggs at Patriots camp

The New England Patriots showed off the first image of All-Pro cornerback Christian Gonzalez lining up against four-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Stefon Diggs in a social media post on Thursday. Gonzalez admitted earlier in the week that he was excited to match up against Diggs in practice. Iron sharpens iron, as the saying goes. Gonzalez is on the rise as one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL, and Diggs is looking to climb back into the elite tier of wide receivers, following an ACL injury last October. Before the injury, Diggs was coming off six straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons. There's hope that he can get back to that same level in New England. One way for Diggs to test himself is frequent head-to-head matchups against one of the top corners in the game. Gonzalez recently made ESPN's top-10 cornerbacks list, which polled votes from executives, coaches and NFL scouts around the league. The former Oregon standout landed at No. 6 in the rankings with one NFL assistant comparing him to the No. 1 player on the list, Denver Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II. "I think Gonzo is the next great one," a veteran NFL assistant said, via ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. "Skills, patience, length. He's the closest thing to Pat [Surtain II]. Smooth, big athlete, travels a lot, can matchup against the best guy." Follow Patriots Wire on Twitter and Facebook. This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: First image of Christian Gonzalez facing Stefon Diggs at Patriots camp

Detroit Red Wings 2025-26 Betting Outlook
Detroit Red Wings 2025-26 Betting Outlook

Yahoo

time11 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Detroit Red Wings 2025-26 Betting Outlook

Exploring betting options for the Red Wings ahead of the 2025-26 season. The 2025-26 NHL season draws closer and closer with sportsbooks starting to roll out seasonal bets that fans can ride for a majority of the season. These kind of bets are known as futures and can be something like if a certain player will win an award like the Hart or if a team like the Red Wings will make the playoffs. There's several betting options for the Red Wings early on that fans may want to look at. We can further explore what's needed to make the bet hit and hopefully win fans some extra cash if they feel confident. NHL Insider Says Red Wings Leading Race to Land Penguins' Rust Insider reports indicate the Red Wings being the top contender to land Penguins winger Bryan Rust. Red Wings to Make the Playoffs (+240 - $10 Bet Wins $24 Profit, $34 Total) We broke down in a recent story what is needed for the Red Wings to make the postseason. We can say with a level of certainity that they likely won't occupy a top three spot in the Atlantic Division as perennial contenders in the Toronto Maple Leafs, Tampa Bay Lightning and back-to-back Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers will likely finish ahead of them. This means they'll need to secure a wild card spot and during the 2023–24 season, Detroit finished with 91 points and missed the playoffs by a single point. Over the past decade, 95 points has consistently been the number that gives teams a reliable shot at a wild-card spot. This means anywhere between 45 to 48 wins will be required with some extra time losses included. It is certainly doable as Tankathon has the Red Wings listed with the third-easiest schedule this upcoming season. Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features. John Gibson to Win Vezina trophy (+25000 - $10 Bet Wins $2,500 Profit, $2,510 Total) This one is a bit of a reach as the field of goaltenders now is truly elite with several contenders that could win the award every season in Winnipeg's Connor Hellebuyck, New York's Igor Shesterkin and Tampa Bay's Andrei Vasilevskiy. Recent Vezina winners from the past decade have mainly averaged a goals against average under 2.30 and finished with a save percentage above .920 with league placements typically landing in the top three or needing to lead the league in one of the two categories to win. An example of this is Connor Hellebuyck's 2023-24 season, when he posted a 2.39 GAA with a top three save percentage at .921 and the second most wins at 37 on the season. Gibson has hit close to these numbers before with his 2015-16 season, when he finished with a league-best 2.07 goals against average and a .920 save percentage through 40 apperances. He has finished with a goals against average under 2.30 twice but finished with a save percentage above .920 three times, which means if he can pull it all together, it's possible. In a defensive Todd McLellan system, who knows the potential upside for Gibson. Todd McLellan to Win Jack Adams Award (+2500 - $10 Bet Wins $250 Profit, $260 Total) This one requires slightly more than the playoff bet as the Red Wings are desperately looking to snap their nine-year playoff drought and with a top two or three divisional seed, it could win McLellan the award for the turnaround. Detroit has been right on the verge of having a big season like when they came just a point short of making the postseason in 2024. If McLellan can massively improve the Wings like he has with several other teams like his early years in San Jose and LA, he could find his way into an award win. Comparing Yzerman's GM Work in Detroit Versus Tampa Bay Examining Steve Yzerman's work as Red Wings GM compared to to his time with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Never miss a story by adding us to your Google News favorites!

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store