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Hurting inside
The Philippine Star
|July 22, 2025
The verdict was like a stab straight into MP Promotions head Sean Gibbons' heart.
For four years, Gibbons dreamed of Manny Pacquiao returning to the ring after losing the WBC welterweight belt to Yordenis Ugas. Finally, the dream came true but the outcome was something Gibbons never imagined. Pacquiao could've and should've won back the title but the judges allowed Mario Barrios to retain the title on a highly-disputed majority 12-round draw in Las Vegas last weekend.
"It hurts so bad," said Gibbons. "I don't know what more Manny had to do to convince the judges. It's just so hard to take. We saw vintage Manny in the ring. Sure, he's 46 and Barrios is 30 but 75 percent of Manny is still better than 100 percent of Barrios. Manny put on a clinic and won at least seven rounds. How could he lose? He landed the cleaner and more powerful shots. Barrios missed a lot."
This story is from the July 22, 2025 edition of The Philippine Star.
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