Pacquiao posts appreciation to Mario Barrios on social media following the controversial draw

Manny Pacquiao expressed his respect for WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios, thanking him on social media last Saturday night. Pacquiao, 46, (62-8-3, 39 KO), said after four years of inactivity, “I felt great in the ring.”

Fans believe Manny won

Manny chose not to discuss the outcome of their fight. Pacquiao told the media at a postwar press conference that he felt he had won the battle 8-4 and hoped for a rematch.

Pacquiao fans agree. They felt he had won the battle. But the judges did that right. Barrios made Manny better in the sixth round. Pacquiao was exhausted after the ninth round, allowing Barrio to wipe out the final three rounds of the fight.

What got in the way was that Pacquiao was planning to continue saying he would come back after the fight. There’s nothing positive about Pacquiao being able to fight the top fighters outside of his payday. He does not have a young man to defeat 147, 140, or 135 good fighters.

Advisor Sean Gibbons says he wants a bigger name for Pacquiao’s next fight, which will bring about the purchase of PPV. He mentioned Jevonta Davis and Roland Rory Romero.

He is the most vulnerable champion of the 147, so it is widely believed that Pacquiao’s management intentionally chose the vario that was chosen. As for all the admiration Pacquiao has received, it’s a bad thing to believe fans are the weakest link of any welterweight champion. They could have chosen WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr.

Hearn’s Warning: Ennis, Norman

Promoter Eddie Hearn said last Saturday that if Pacquiao competed with Norman Jr. and former IBF and WBA champion “Boots” Ennis, it wouldn’t end well. They won’t hold back the punches like Barrios has made them weird.

They take Pacquiao down and slice him quickly. What we saw from Manny last Saturday was that he didn’t continue in three rounds with Barrios or Ennis. He is too lost from his game to compete with those fighters/they, as well as those fighters. Other welterweights will dominate Pacquiao.

Thank you for keeping us safe in the ring. I would like to thank my wife, my children, my family, my team and everyone who supported me through this fight.

To Mario Barrios, you are a real warrior. It was an honor to share the ring with you. Even after all these years, I felt… pic.twitter.com/wzixtxpkfp

– Manny Pacquiao (@mannypacquiao) July 21, 2025