On July 19 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, 46-year-old Filipino icon Manny Pacquiao returned to face WBC welterweight champion Mario “El Azteca” Barrios. The fight went the full twelve, with CompuBox showing Barrios landing 120 of 658 punches (18.2%) to Pacquiao’s 101 of 577 (17.5%), out-jabbing him 45–20 but getting edged 81–75 in power shots (spin.ph). The result? A majority draw that left fans split and sparked a verbal firestorm from one of boxing’s most unfiltered voices.

Paulie Malignaggi, the 44-year-old former two-division champion didn’t mince words during his post-fight rant. He told BoxingScene, “You may not think it’s a robbery. I think Manny won the fight. Okay, you’re gonna say, ‘Okay, it’s close. It’s… it’s… it maybe it’s not a crazy robbery.’ You know why it’s a robbery? Because after you did all this, what do you get out of letting Mario Barrios keep the title? The guy sucks. He can’t fight.”

Malignaggi even shared how Barrios’s trainer, Bob Santos, tried to light a fire under him mid-fight: “Dude, stop touching gloves and go win the fight.” The veteran analyst laughed in disbelief as Barrios, instead, “comes out, he touches gloves again. Like, bro, Aztec warrior my a**, bro. Don’t ever use that term again.”

Paulie’s criticism didn’t stop there. He picked apart Barrios’s fundamentals, snapping, “He’s 5’10”… sometimes listed taller, and he’s throwing the same jab when he is jabbing—’cause a lot of times he’s not even jabbing. When he is, you’re 5’10”, 5’11”, 6 feet, the same jab constantly. And yeah, he was effective when he used it, but dude, you don’t have a varied jab? You’re 6 feet tall. You don’t have a varied jab?”

What truly irked Malignaggi was Barrios’s attitude: “He recognizes none of it because he’s so busy touching gloves and just being happy to be there. That’s why Manny deserved the win. Manny wanted it more. He was more cerebral in there… and honestly, bro, Mario was just happy to be there with him.”

While many fans and analysts cried foul after Manny Pacquiao’s return bout with Mario Barrios ended in a majority decision draw, one familiar figure broke from the chorus.

Timothy Bradley questions the passion of Mario Barrios and Manny Pacquiao

Timothy Bradley, a former world champion and Pacquiao’s old foe, jumped into the ring to back the contentious decision while throwing some shade at the performances of both fighters. On his YouTube channel, the 41-year-old laid down a tough critique of the action at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, where the 46-year-old Pacquiao went toe-to-toe with the 30-year-old WBC welterweight champ.

Bradley pulled no punches when he laid out his thoughts on the fight. “It wasn’t even a fight,” he declared, going so far as to brand the twelve‑round affair a glorified sparring session. Casting doubt on the effort from Barrios, Bradley added, “I would love to see both these guys’ contracts.” He accused the titleholder of holding back deliberately, noting, “When he decided to come forward and let his hands go, it was easy.”

Even with his criticism, Bradley agreed with the official result, despite widespread backlash over the scoring. The two judges who called it 114–114 and the third who gave Barrios a 115–113 edge found a supporter in “Desert Storm.” “The fight was a draw. Yeah, I don’t think either of these guys deserves to win,” Bradley said flatly, while reiterating that Barrios—despite keeping his belt—“was supposed to take this legend out… put this legend on your resume, bro… and you felt like he was your brother‑in‑law, bro.”

Bradley also turned his scrutiny toward Pacquiao, a man he fought three times, calling the Filipino icon’s effort a far cry from his prime. “He [doesn’t] belong inside the ring, man… Did he throw some combination? Yeah, but the combinations weren’t sharp like I used to see him, you know,” he observed. Yet, even as he criticized the legend’s form, Bradley admitted he was glad to see Pacquiao back, hinting that the veteran’s future in boxing remains a question mark despite the spirited return.