A SUPERBLY conditioned Manny Pacquiao has kept his promise, surprising us by earning a draw against Mario Barrios on Sunday (July 20, PH time).
His performance even convinced reputable world media outlets, including the respected The Guardian of the United Kingdom, which saw Pacquiao the 115-113 winner.
The crowd at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, that included Filipino politicians and celebrities, lustily booed the decision after it was announced, allowing Barrios to retain his WBC (World Boxing Council) welterweight crown (147 lbs).
It came down to a majority draw after judges Tim Cheatham of Las Vegas and Steve Weisfeld of New Jersey both scored the fight a 114-114 draw, and Max DeLuca of New York saw Barrios the 115-113 winner.
I also scored it 115-113 for Barrios.
Like the three judges, I also gave the last three rounds to the 30-year-old Barrios, who had mightily rallied after the 46-year-old Pacquiao dominated the rounds from sixth to ninth.
Bucking old age, the 5-foot-5 Pacquiao unloaded baby bombs, one of which was a left in the sixth round that somewhat jarred his 6-footer foe from Texas, USA.
Pacquiao continued controlling the fight against an opponent without a champion’s gait. He peppered Barrios with a not-so-telling punches up to the ninth but good enough to pile up points.
But egged on by his corner to mount a rally as the fight seemed to slip away with nine minutes left, Barrios showed a semblance of aggression, finally, in the so-called championship rounds — winning the last three frames to salvage the majority draw en route to keeping his title in his third defense.
Did Barrios fight a scared fight? Was he too respectful of Pacquiao’s reputation?
“I thought I won the fight,” said Pacquiao. “It was a close fight. It was a wonderful fight.”
He said he’d welcome a rematch, to which Barrios agreed after praising Pacquiao’s courageous stand.
“His stamina, he could still crack,” said Barrios, now 29-2-2, win-loss-draw with 18 knockouts. “He’s still strong as hell. His timing, his rhythm, everything. He was still a very awkward fighter very hard to figure out.”
Yes, Pacquiao, now 62-8-3, with 39 KOs, sustained his stamina the entire fight to definitely defy Father Time.
But only because Barrios allowed it.