Mario Barrios has shared his verdict on the power of eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao.
The fight itself was declared a majority decision draw, although many fans and analysts believe that Pacquiao had done enough to dethrone Barrios. Two out of the three judges scored the contest 114-114 even, whilst the other had it 115-113 in favour of the champion.
Prior to his move up to welterweight, Barrios had campaigned at super-lightweight where he held the WBA world title for two years before he was dethroned by Gervonta Davis in June 2021, suffering an eleventh round stoppage defeat to the hard-hitting American.
Whilst speaking to Fight Hub TV, Barrios admitted that whilst he doesn’t tend to compare the punching power of previous opponents, he gave plaudits to both Pacquiao and Davis as he claims they can both ‘crack’.
“Pacquiao could definitely crack, you know, Tank can definitely crack, you know it’s one of the few fights where I’ve touched the canvas. But yeah that old man is strong.”
There have been rumours circulating that Barrios and Pacquiao could potentially face each other in a rematch next, although it remains to be seen whether a second encounter between the duo will come to fruition.
As for Davis, the 30-year-old WBA lightweight champion is set to face Lamont Roach Jr in a rematch at some point this year, after their first bout back in March ended in a controversial split decision draw.
