The Manny Pacquiao vs. Mario Barrios result continues to generate debate within the boxing world.
Pacquiao made his remarkable return to the sport on Saturday at the age of 46, as he challenged Barrios for his WBC welterweight title at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
It was the first time Pacquiao had competed professionally since August 2021, and with it being six years since his last win back in July 2019, there were a lot of concerns that the Filipino icon may have bitten off more than he can chew against Barrios.
It wasn’t to be the case though, with ‘Pac-Man’ showing glimpses of the speed and timing that saw him become an eight-weight world champion, as he managed to go the full 12-round distance with his rival and even win the fight on many people’s scorecards.
The three people who mattered disagreed though, as the judges scored the bout 115-113 Barrios and 114-114 twice, meaning that the bout ended in a majority decision draw.
The likes of Devin Haney, Shawn Porter and Teofimo Lopez all revealed in the aftermath that they felt Pacquiao should have been victorious, and now respected analyst Teddy Atlas has offered his take.
Speaking on his The Fight With Teddy Atlas YouTube channel, the legendary pundit admitted that while he thought ‘Pac-Man’ was the rightful winner on the night, he has changed his stance after re-watching the contest.
“I watched the fight again. It was a very close fight with a lot of close rounds. If you want to give it to him [Pacquiao] go ahead, but it was not the robbery that some people were saying. If you want to give it to Manny fine, but that was a close fight. I don’t have a problem with the draw.”
Pacquiao has already announced that he plans to continue boxing, with a rematch against Barrios his likely target.
