Manny Pacquiao appeared to have made history on Saturday in his much-maligned comeback bout against WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios. But then the judges took it away.
Despite winning on the majority of scorecards from both his fellow fighters and boxing analysts online, Pacquiao’s return from a four-year retirement ended in a controversial majority draw, helping Barrios to leave Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena with his WBC title intact.
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Two judges scored the contest a 114-114 draw, while one judge had it 115-113 for Barrios.
Had the 46-year-old Pacquiao won, he would’ve made history as the second-oldest fighter in boxing history to capture a major world title.
Pacquiao was a significant underdog on BetMGM coming into the bout against a man 16 years his junior.
The contentious result ignited instant outrage across the boxing world, with many of Pacquiao’s peers decrying the judges’ assessments and feeling as if the Hall of Famer was robbed of a historic moment.
Check out some of that reaction below, including commentary from pound-for-pound stars Shakur Stevenson, Claressa Shields and more.
