Manny Pacquiao makes a high-stakes return to the boxing ring against Mario Barrios, looking to win the WBC welterweight championship.
Manny Pacquiao vs. Mario Barrios ends in majority draw, allowing Barrios to retain his WBC welterweight championship.
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ROUND 12
Fight goes the distance. Manny Pacquiao looking spry even at 46 years old against a world champion 16 years younger.
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ROUND 11
Barrios responds with a more assertive round against Pacquiao. This fight goes to round 12.
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ROUND 10
Another late flurry for Pacquiao. Barrios corner urging the WBC champion to be aggressive to end the fight.
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ROUND 9
Pacquiao could very well be stealing the close rounds thanks to his explosiveness. Manny up three rounds on the pay-per-view's unofficial scorecards.
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ROUND 8
Pacquiao looking energetic even at 46 years old. Barrios relying on his jab to try and keep Manny at bay.
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ROUND 6
Pacquiao and Barrios fighting through some close rounds. Manny appears to get a second wind and gets a mini surge in round 6.
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ROUND 4
Pacquiao trying to stay active with flurries, but Barrios is picking his spots and establishing the jab for control.
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ROUND 2
Barrios starting to settle in during round 2 after a promising opening round from Pacquiao.
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Pacquiao vs. Barrios ins underway.
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Manny Pacquiao is back—and with history once again in his sights.
The 46-year-old boxing icon makes his much-anticipated return to the ring against reigning WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios on Sunday, July 20 (PH time), at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
At stake: Barrios’ belt and a shot for Pacquiao to become the second-oldest world champion in boxing history.
[READ: Manny Pacquiao says comeback fight vs Mario Barrios for WBC belt motivated by history, not money]
Fighting professionally for the first time since 2021, Pacquiao (62-8-2, 39 KOs) hopes to prove there’s still magic in his fists despite a near four-year layoff and a 16-year age gap between him and Barrios (29-2-1, 18 KOs).
It’s also Pacquiao’s first bout since his loss to Yordenis Ugas, the same opponent Barrios defeated in 2023 to capture the then interim WBC title.
Pacquiao last won a world title in 2019 when he edged Keith Thurman for the WBA (Super) welterweight crown, but this comeback has deeper meaning.
Following his unsuccessful bid in the 2025 Philippine midterm elections, Pacquiao now seeks redemption on familiar ground: the boxing ring.
Barrios, meanwhile, presents a daunting challenge. Taller, younger, and with a longer reach, the American titleholder has successfully defended his belt twice—against Fabian Maidana and Abel Ramos—and is hungry to cement his legacy by defeating a legend.
A victory would mark Pacquiao’s triumphant return to championship glory.
A defeat, however, would hand him back-to-back losses for the first time since his 2012 setbacks to Timothy Bradley and Juan Manuel Marquez—and perhaps close the curtain on one of boxing’s greatest careers.
(With reports from Luisa Morales)
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[Editor's note: This article was written by a member of the One Sports Digital with the help of AI, and then checked by the staff to ensure accuracy.]