CHICAGO -- Despite shedding dandruff-like flakes of combat rust in the late rounds of his welterweight championship bout against Mario Barrios on Sunday, Manny Pacquiao put together enough craft and moxie to score a victory.
At the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, the nostalgic site of many of his past triumphs, Manny was plucky, just not lucky.
READ How much did Pacquiao make in comeback fight?
Despite his turn-back-time heroics at age 46, the judges weren't convinced and handed down a majority draw verdict that denied Pacquiao's historic quest to become the second-oldest fighter to win a world title belt,
But I'm not going to rail at the judges here.
The CompuBox numbers, which slightly favored the opponent in overall punches and jabs thrown and landed, provided some comfort for Pacquiao fans to swallow their pride and prejudice.
BARRIOS IS NO SUPER MARIO.
To me, the biggest joy-killer was WBC 147-pound champion Mario Barrios, the Mexican-America from San Antonio who fought with impulses contrary to winning.
Despite a 5 1/2-inch height advantage and a 3 1/2-incj edge in reach, the 6-foot Barrios fought with extreme trepidation, making the contest boring in a way that the only thrill left for the most part was anticipating what, and later finding out in amazement, a legend approaching 50 can still do atop the ring.
A self-proclaimed warrior who flaunted his Aztec roots during his ring walk, I expected a blitzkrieg of blows from Barrios to match the fire we knew Pacquiao would bring. What we witnessed instead was a light barrage of harmless, often ineffective blows.
Pacquiao had no chance to win. He fought three adversaries all at once - Father Time, Barrios and boredom.
I understand that boxing is a sweet science that supports art but people in that arena and those who forked $80 for pay-per-view at home didn't want to see Mozart or Michaelangelo, they wanted the blood, gore, and savage violence associated with combat sports.
"I THINK I WON THE FIGHT," PACQUIAO SAYS
Sorry senator, there was no fight. It was a slow dance with Barrios doing the cha-cha, one step forward and two steps backwards, while occasionally interrupting the proceedings with a pitter-patter of punches.
Pacquiao, despite fighting a lion 16 years his junior, went to Sin City to hurt or be hurt. Barrios apparently climbed the ring with Pacman only to collect a guaranteed $1 million purse and showed little interest in a real fistfight.
While Pacquiao was intent on testing the limits of his strength and endurance in a very physically demanding sport, Barrios was focused only in not getting punched at and surviving 12 rounds.
"It just makes no sense. It was a robbery, however way you add it up, it was outright robber," a frustrated MP Promotions president Sean Gibbons, told Gerry Ramos of SPIN.ph.
Indeed, it was.
Still, the deprivation of action and excitement was the greater, more egregious felony.
No thanks to Barrios, who chickened out against a Hall-of-Fame inductee who also happens to be boxing's only eight-division champ.
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