Boxing

Manny Pacquiao And Mario Barrios Fight to Majority Draw, Fundora Stops Tszyu In Rematch

The "PacMan's" return doesn't end with a title win, but it doesn't end in a loss.
Johan Alyas Blanco|
Manny Pacquiao (left) and Mario Barrios (right) at weigh ins ahead of their fight.
Manny Pacquiao (left) and Mario Barrios (right) at weigh ins ahead of their fight. | IMAGO / AAP

What a stellar and exciting night of fights at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. A rivalry sealed, a dominant performance, but main attraction was the return of the "PacMan".

In the main event, 46-year-old Manny Pacquiao's return doesn't end in triumph, as he fights to a majority draw against WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios. The judges scored the contest, 115-113 for Barrios and 114-114 (x2), with every giving the final round to the champion.

Pacquiao (62–8–3, 39 KOs) made his return to the ring for the first time in nearly four years, and it took some time to get the ring rust off. The early stages of the fight looked like there was glimpses of the old "PacMan" but it seemed like he couldn't get his feet under himself. Barrios (29–2–2, 18 KOs) did well using a stabbing jab, and fighting at his distance.

In the middle rounds, it looked like the 46-year-old was turning back the clock, cutting angles and finding a home for his patinent straight left hand. At times it looked like Pacquaio took control of the fight and was going to run away with it. However, father time started to show for the former eight-division world champion.

In the final stretch of the bout, Barrios turned up the aggression. The 30-year-old champion maximized his speed, landing consistently down the middle with his straight right and piling on the pressure. He even hurt the 46-year-old a few times before the final bell. Rounds 10-12 were definitely in the Barrios' favor and brought the momentum back on his side.

With this fight being a majority draw, it spoils the historic return for Pacquiao. It also puts Barrios in a peculiar position, having defended his belt twice, with both fights ending in a draw. It looks like this is not a one-off return, as Pacquiao insisted that he's returning to the ring. And with the other champions at 147 lbs pre-occupied, the rematch will most likely be the matchup made next.

In the co-main event, Sebastian Fundora wins the rematch, beating Tim Tszyu by corner stoppage after the seventh round. He makes his second defense of his WBC junior middleweight title, and goes up 2-0 in the rivalry against the Australian.

The dymanic of the fight, compared to the first one, was much different. Fundora (23-1-1, 15 KOs) came out the aggressor from the first round, using his long reach to establish his jab and range. Tszyu (25-3, 18 KOs) came out head hunting, but did not attempt to set up his power shots. That cost the Aussie, as the champion would catch him with a straight left to score the knockdown.

Throughout the fight it was a non-stop onslaught from Fundora. He used a mixture of his reach, inside fighting and counterpunching to create a matchup nightmare for Tszyu. Whenever the challenger was able to catch Fundora with big hooks, the champion would double up his jab followed by a flurry of hooks.

Though Tszyu showed heart and traded blow-for-blow with Fundora, the champion's punches were stinging more and seem to have a last effect on the challenger. Then, after the seventh round, Tszyu's team stopped it in the corner, with their fighter no responding well to their communication.

This win puts Fundora close to the top of 154 lbs. And with this being his second win of 2025, a big money fight could be on the horizon for "The Towering Inferno".

Also on the card, Isaac "Pitbull" Cruz dominates, as he beats short notice replacement Omar Salcido by unanimous decision. It was a one-sided affair, with the judges scoring the bout 100-88, and 99-89 (x2).

Cruz (28-3-1, 18 KOs) came forward with his infamous aggressive style, pressure Salcido (20-3, 14 KOs) and overwhelming the late replacement. "Pitbull" never stopped coming forward, landing hard hooks, consistently landing the more accurate and meaningful punches.

"Pitbull" was going for the finish in the final round, even scoring a knockdown. Though the finish did not come, he capped of a phenomenal performance.

"Pitbull" was originally suppose to fight Angel Fierro (23-3-2, 18 KOs) in a rematch, but he withdrew after struggling to make 140 lbs. Hopefully that fight could be made in the future, maybe even at 147 lbs.

Here are the rest of the results of the Pacquiao vs. Barrios undercard.

Brandon Figueroa (26-2-1, 19 KOs) edges out a close one, beating Joet Gonzalez (27-5, 15 KOs) by unanimous decision. The judges scorecards read 116-112 (x2) and 115-113. The bout was fought primarily fought in the pocket, with the two landing power punches on each other.

David Picasso (32-0-1, 17 KOs) looked sharp, beating Kyonosuke Kameda (15-5-2, 9 KOs) by majority decision. The judges scored the fight 98-92, 97-93 and 95-95. The win puts Picasso in line to fight undisputed super-bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue, if "The Monster" can get past Murodjon Akhmadaliev on Sept. 14th.

Gary Russell Jr. (32-2, 19 KOs) makes an emphatic return after three and a half years, stopping Hugo Castaneda (15-3-1, 11 KOs) in the 10th round. The former featherweight champion looked like he did not lose that god given hand speed, dropping his opponent with a nasty body shot in the final round. It's good to see the former champion back.

Mark Magsayo (28-2, 18 KOs) stays in the contender mix at junior lightweight, beating Jorge Mata (21-3-2, 13 KOs) by unanimous decision. The judges scored the fight 100-90 (x2) and 98-92.

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Johan Alyas Blanco
JOHAN ALYAS BLANCO

Johan Alyas Blanco is a writer for KO On SI. Before joining in March 2025, he worked as a News Producer in Tallahassee and Orlando. He also works for several fight promotions in boxing and MMA, working on social media content. When he’s not writing, Alyas covers boxing on his own YouTube channel, The Split Decision. Blanco has a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism from UCF, with a minor in sports business management. Alyas has interviewed several big names in combat sports, including Jorge Masvidal, Edgar Berlanga and Brian Norman Jr. His goal is to bring boxing back to prominence.

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