MANILA, Philippines — Manny Pacquiao wasn’t shocked by Ryan Garcia’s dominant victory over Mario Barrios on Sunday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Garcia captured the WBC welterweight title with ease, knocking Barrios down just 30 seconds into the fight and earning judges’ scores of 119-108, 120-107, and 118-109.
“Yes, I saw that coming. Barrios is an easy target,” Pacquiao told reporters Monday during the official partnership signing between his Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League and SportsPlus in Mandaluyong. “I won against him. They just made it a draw,” he added with a grin, referring to his controversial majority draw against Barrios in July. At that time, Pacquiao, coming out of a four-year retirement, was 46 and could have become the second-oldest world champion.
Garcia’s win marks a strong comeback for the 27-year-old, who had struggled over the past couple of years, including a loss to Rolly Romero and a one-year suspension in 2024 for testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs. He was also temporarily expelled by the WBC for offensive social media posts.
Pacquiao’s remarks highlight his respect for Garcia’s skills while reaffirming his own memorable performance against Barrios.
