Manny Pacquiao DRAWS first fight in four years and FAILS to win world title

Manny Pacquiao was denied a fairytale return to the ring when he DREW his world title fight with Mario Barrios.

Pacquiao, already an eight-division world champion, had come out of retirement after being controversially handed a title shot. But he defied Father Time to dominate large swathes of his meeting with Barrios.

But none of the three judges gave him the nod, with one awarding the fight to Barrios while the other two scored the bout a draw. Barrios won the final round which proved enough for him to retain his welterweight world title.

Afterwards, Pacquiao, who has been linked with a rematch with bitter rival Floyd Mayweather 10 years after their first meeting, confirmed he wants to fight on. “I thought I won the fight,” Pacquiao said in the aftermath of the loss. “A close fight. My opponent was very tough. A wonderful fighter.”

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Pacquiao was fighting for the first time in four years with his last outing ending in defeat by Yordenis Ugas. Barrios, meanwhile, had drawn his last bout, a thrilling meeting with Abel Ramos on the undercard of Mike Tyson's fight with Jake Paul last November.

The elder statesman made the brighter start as he sought to cap a remarkable comeback in Sin City. Pacquiao might have lost a step but his speed was still causing Barrios problems.

It took the champion a couple of rounds to find his rhythm before he began to solve the puzzle which had confounded better fights than he over the decades. But back roared Pacquiao as the fight reached the halfway stage.

The Filipino's combinations were not as sharp as yesteryear but they carried enough venom to trouble Barrios - and convince the judges they were landing with regular aplomb.

By the 10th round, it was the champion's corner telling their man he had to win the final three sessions. Barrios answered their rallying cry as he took the fight to Pacquiao but the veteran refused to budge.

Barrios switched into gear in the penultimate round, whipping in a body shot which momentarily stopped Pacquiao in his tracks. It was the younger man who finished the stronger as he swayed the judges at the death.

In the night’s co-main event, Sebastian Fundora retained his WBC super welterweight title after Australian Tim Tszyu did not come out for the eighth round of their rematch.