Boxing legend Bob Arum praises Manny Pacquiao after controversial draw against Mario Barrios

Legendary boxing promoter Bob Arum was impressed by Filipino icon Manny Pacquiao’s boxing comeback at the age of 46 and lavished high praise on the former eight-division world champion for his performance.

Pacquiao’s highly anticipated professional comeback against World Boxing Council (WBC) welterweight champion Mario Barrios ended in a controversial majority draw after 12 rounds, with two judges scoring the bout 114–114 and the third judge scoring it 115–113 in favor of Barrios.

The result meant that Barrios retained his WBC welterweight title and improved his record to 29-2-2 with 18 knockouts, while Pacquiao’s record dropped to 62-8-3.

The 46-year-old was not pleased with the outcome, stating that he believed he had won the bout and immediately called for a rematch.

“I was very surprised. I thought it was remarkable. He looked like, truth be told, the fresher fighter in the ring. The other guy, the only thing he showed was a very good jab. He didn’t show anything else,” Arum said to The Ring.

Bob Arum tells The Ring that he thought Manny Pacquiao’s performance against Mario Barrios was remarkable, and believed he looked the fresher fighter in their contest which resulted in a draw last weekend. pic.twitter.com/LijPJs8O5G

— Ring Magazine (@ringmagazine) July 26, 2025

“But Manny showed a lot of activity, jumping around and everything, and he looked like a fresh fighter. He didn’t look like a 46-year-old guy who hasn’t fought in four years,” he added.

It’s worth noting that Arum had expressed concern for Pacquiao prior to the Barrios fight, primarily due to his advancing age and the quality of his opponent.

Many also believed that the final scoring by the judges did not reflect the actual result, as Pacquiao appeared to be the clear winner. However, the 91-year-old had no complaints about the scoring, admitting that the Filipino star ran out of steam in the championship rounds—something that ultimately cost him the fight.

“I had Manny winning six rounds to three after the first nine rounds. And then I agreed with the judges that he lost the last three rounds. When the fight was over, I said it was probably a draw. But I could see the first nine rounds being 6-3, I could see it being 5-4 like one judge had it, and I could see it being 7-2. It looked like it was Manny’s fight going into the last three rounds,” Arum concluded.

Now that he has made an impressive return, Pacquiao is eager to fight world champions, with several top boxers eyeing a potential bout with the legend—including World Boxing Association (WBA) welterweight champion Rolando Romero and WBC interim lightweight champion Ryan Garcia.

It will be intriguing to see what Pacquiao decides to do next, as consistently fighting world champions younger than him will not be an easy task.

OKBET is Asia’s most trusted and popular online sports gaming platform. Visit us on OKBET to stay up to date with all sports news from around the world.