Manny Pacquiao vs Mario Barrios ends in a draw
Hall of Famer Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao and WBC Welterweight World Champion Mario “El Azteca” Barrios fought to a majority draw after 12 tense back-and-forth rounds in the main event of a PBC Pay-Per-View event on Prime Video Saturday night from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Looking to break his own record as the oldest welterweight world champion in boxing history, Pacquiao came up just short as two judges scored the fight 114-114, with one judge turning in a 115-113 score for Barrios.
“I thought I won the fight,” said Pacquiao (62-8-3, 39 KOs).” It was a close fight. He was very tough. I worked hard and stayed disciplined. I always keep my body in shape so that I can do this.”
“It was an honor to share the ring with him,” said Barrios (29-2-2, 18 KOs). “This is by far the biggest event I’ve had to date and we came in here and left everything in the ring. I have nothing but respect for Manny.”
The CompuBox stats reflected the close nature of the fight, with Pacquiao holding an 81-75 edge in power punches, while Barrios landed 45 jabs to Pacquiao’s 20. With a capacity crowd on their feet for every shot landed, Pacquiao showed early that he was stepping into the ring a better fighter than when he last competed in 2021.
“His stamina is crazy,” said Barrios. “He’s still strong as hell and his timing is real. He’s still a very awkward fighter to try to figure out.”
In round eight, Pacquiao had his biggest moment of the fight when he brought his legion of fans to their feet with a series of big left hooks right before the bell. With the momentum seemingly in Pacquiao’s favor, Barrios dug deep and won the last three rounds on all of the judges’ cards to earn the draw and retain his title.
“I had to find a way to finish the fight better but my opponent is so tough,” said Pacquiao. “He threw a lot of good combinations and had defense. It was a tough fight.”
“I didn’t think the fight was getting away from me, but I knew I had to step it up to solidify a win,” said Barrios. “The plan was to press him and try to make him feel old. But he’s still got good legs.”
After the fight, both fighters expressed their interest in a potential championship rematch.
“I need to continue my training for longer going into a championship fight,” said Pacquiao. “Because of the election I started late, but it’s okay. Of course I’d like a rematch. I want to leave a legacy and make the Filipino people proud.”
“I’ll do the rematch,” said Barrios. “Absolutely. This was huge for boxing. I’d love to do it again.”
Sebastian Fundora vs Tim Tszyu
The co-main event was a rematch of 2024’s bloodiest fight and saw Sebastian “The Towering Inferno” Fundora (23-1-1, 15 KOs) retain his WBC Super Welterweight World Championship by defeating former champion Tim Tszyu (25-3, 18 KOs) via TKO after round seven. Following an electric round that saw both men land huge punches, Tszyu’s corner waived off the fight between rounds.
“I dropped him in round one and I remembered that my dad said all week that he thinks we could get him out of there and that’s what we did,” said Fundora.
“He’s one tough guy,” said Tszyu. “I tried to give it everything. But I just couldn’t do it. He’s the best 154-pounder in the world right now.”
After their first fight saw Tszyu fight through one of the grizzliest cuts in recent boxing history before losing a close decision, the rematch saw Fundora establish his dominance early with a clean left hook that dropped Tszyu in round one.
“I was not surprised I dropped him,” said Fundora. “I was coming off a loss last time, so my mentality wasn’t there. Coming into this fight, I was the champion and mentally I was better.”
Fundora continued to press forward and used his exceptional reach to give Tszyu fits as he tried to close down the distance. The fight took on a back-and-forth nature after the knockdown, with Tszyu searching for and occasionally landing big shots, while Fundora kept up the consistent pressure.
“I’m the bigger guy,” said Fundora. “Everyone says I’m a bully in the ring, so I thought I should start really bullying these guys.”
“He was just the better man,” said Tszyu. “It’s very hard to land. He’s so tall. I feel like I was shadowboxing with myself sometimes. It is what it is. Congratulations to Fundora.”
In round seven, Tszyu appeared to have his best moments of the fight, snapping Fundora’s head back several times. However, he was unable to deter Fundora’s forward momentum, as the champion out landed Tszyu 27 to 16 in power punches across the frame. One final flurry before the bell left Tszyu worse for wear heading into his corner and eventually led to the decision from his corner to halt the fight.
“I just kept working on aggression my whole career and we’ve just been adding,” said Fundora. “I’m here at 154 to stay and ready to get more belts.”
Isaac Cruz vs Omar Salcido
Pay-per-view action also saw Mexican star Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz (28-3-1, 18 KOs) drop 140-pound contender Omar Salcido (20-3, 14 KOs) in the 10th and final round as he dominated the action and earned a unanimous decision by scores of 100-88 and 99-89 twice. Cruz had originally been scheduled to face Angel Fierro, who was forced to withdraw due to a medical emergency, prompting Salcido to step in on short notice.
“I was more disappointed in Fierro than anything because he was all bark and no bite, and I’m all bite,” said Cruz. “I give the ultimate respect to Omar for stepping up. He’s a great fighter, but I’m a world champion. I give him props for stepping up.”
The former super lightweight champion Cruz was able to land flashy power punches throughout the action, consistently keeping Salcido from meaningfully engaging. In round eight he appeared to stagger Salcido with the short power-punches and relentless determination that’s made him a fan favorite. In total, he landed 33 power punches across the three minutes.
In the final round, another ferocious attack from Cruz left Salcido with no choice but to hold to try to remain upright, eventually prompting referee Mark Nelson to deduct a point. Shortly after the deduction, Cruz pounced and unleashed yet another flurry, this time putting Salcido down. After the fight, Cruz reiterated to his passionate Mexican fanbase that he’ll always do his talking in the ring.
“You guys are all witnesses,” said Cruz. “I like to talk inside the ring, not outside of it. I’m always here to show what I can do every single fight.”
Brandon Figueroa vs Joet Gonzalez
Kicking off the pay-per-view, former two-division world champion Brandon “The Heartbreaker” Figueroa (26-2-1, 19 KOs) won a unanimous decision over featherweight contender Joet Gonzalez (27-5, 15 KOs) in their WBA Featherweight Title Eliminator. Two judges saw the bout 116-112, with the third judge turning in a 115-113 tally.
“Joet Gonzalez has been in there with the best,” said Figueroa. “He’s a tough, gritty fighter who gives it his all and comes to fight. He never backed down and brought the fight to me. It was about who wanted it more.”
“I heard unanimous decision and it just is what it is,” said Gonzalez. “It was a close fight and a good fight. I should have listened to my corner a little bit more.”
The fight was a battle over volume versus accuracy, as Figueroa threw (1074-821) and landed (282-265) more punches, while Gonzalez connected on 35% of his shots compared to Figueroa’s 26%. Fought at close quarters throughout, Figueroa finished stronger in the judges’ eyes, winning the final four rounds on all three cards.
“I felt like I was in control the whole fight and controlled it when I wanted to,” said Figueroa. “He had moments, but I felt like I controlled most of the rounds. It was a close, gritty win.”
The two fighters combined to only throw 203 jabs (10 landed) out of 1,895 shots thrown (most in a fight this year), choosing instead to wing power shots for 12 rounds to the crowd’s delight. After the fight, Figueroa expressed his desire to move on to fighting for the world title next.
“I want to fight a world champion,” said Figueroa. “That’s what I’m looking for next.”
Gary Russell Jr. vs Hugo Castañeda
Prior to the pay-per-view, a three-fight PBC on Prime Video lineup streamed live and for free topped by the return of former longtime world champion Gary Russell Jr. (32-2, 19 KOs) as he stopped Hugo Castañeda (15-3-1, 11 KOs) with a vicious body shot 26 seconds into the 10th and final round of their lightweight affair.
The body shot was the fourth knockdown scored by Russell, who looked sharp from the outset as he sent his opponent down twice in the second round, before scoring another knockdown in round six.
David “Rey” Picasso vs Kyonosuke Kameda
The streaming presentation also saw undefeated super bantamweight contender David “Rey” Picasso (32-0-1, 17 KOs) keep his unbeaten record intact with a hard-fought unanimous decision over Kyonosuke Kameda (15-5-2, 9 KOs) in their 10-round clash.
Picasso adjusted to the aggressive Kameda to take control of the second half of the fight, earning scores of 98-92 and 97-93, which overturned one score of 95-95.
Mark Magsayo vs Jorge Mata
Kicking off the stream, Filipino power puncher Mark “Magnifico” Magsayo (28-2, 18 KOs) took home a unanimous decision over Mexico’s Jorge Mata (21-3-2, 13 KOs) after 10-rounds in the featherweight division.
The former world champion’s offense first broke through in round four as he bloodied Mata’s face with a series of power shots. Two judges scored the fight a 100-90 shutout for Magsayo, with the third judging turning in a 98-92 card in Magsayo’s favor.