‘I thought I won' – Manny Pacquiao left stunned after he's denied history-making win vs Mario Barrios with crowd furious
The 46-year-old Filipino, making his return to the ring four years after retiring, was held to a majority draw at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
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One judge scored the fight 115-113 in Barrios' favour, while the other two scored it 114-114.
Pacquiao was roared on by a pumping crowd as he took on younger and far fresher 30-year-old Barrios for the WBC welterweight world title.
A Hall of Fame slot had already been secured, but further history was on the line with the chance to become the first from the inductees to win a world title.
And with a place in the record books up for grabs, 'Pac Man' went toe-to-toe with Barrios, and many believed he did enough to win the bout.
Pacquiao, who has won 12 world titles across eight weight divisions, was ahead on the judges' scorecards going into the 10th round but lost the last three.
As a result, Barrios retained his titles but the iconic multi-weight champion, who said he just did two months training, wants a rematch.
A confused Pacquiao said: "I thought I won the fight. It was a close fight. My opponent was very tough. It was a wonderful fight."
Asked if he wants a rematch, he said: "Yes, of course."
And while the crowd booed the decision, fans online were also fuming with the result, with many making their voices heard.
One said: " Manny Pacquiao won that fight with ease. These judges are hot garbage."
A second raged: "Pac Man was robbed."
And another said: "Majority Draw is such BS. Pacquiao won that fight. Barrios even knew it."
Barrios, who was a -275 favourite, hoped to bounce back from a split-decision draw in November against Abel Ramos, but didn't exactly come away with an convincing win in improving to 29-2-2.
Meanwhile, Pacquiao's record sits at 62-9-2.
Pacquiao, who had last fought in an exhibition last year, was enshrined into the International Boxing Hall of Fame last month.
He was also trying to break his own record for oldest welterweight champion.
Pacquiao was 40 when he emerged in 2019 split decision over Keith Thurman.
From 2016 to 2022, Pacquiao also served as a senator in the Philippines, where he ran for president in 2022.
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