"It's crazy, he's still going strong": Manny Pacquiao's phenomenal return to the ring at 46

Filipino Manny Pacquiao , who at the age of 46 was making his return to the ring after four years of retirement , held his own against American Mario Barrios, whom he even thought he had dominated, but the judges gave the match a draw on Saturday, to boos at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
One judge gave Barrios the advantage 115-113, but the other two judges could not decide the winner (114-114). Barrios thus retained his WBC welterweight belt, even though Pac-Man showed a lot of fighting spirit for a veteran facing a boxer 16 years his junior and therefore in his prime.
"I thought I won the fight. It was close. My opponent was very strong. But it was a great fight," Pacquiao said, as the announcement of the draw sparked a heated reaction from the crowd, which was fully behind the Filipino's cause.
"I was trying to find a way to finish the fight, but my opponent was really strong. He threw punches in combination and defense, so it was difficult," added the man who has collected belts in eight different weight classes during his career.
The former senator and presidential candidate in the Philippines started strongly, landing a string of combinations, far from the soft fighter he was in his last fight four years ago, when he lost on points to Cuban Yordenis Ugas.
But, aided by Pacquiao's slight fatigue, Barrios regained control late in the fight, preventing the Filipino from achieving his dream of becoming the oldest welterweight champion in history.
"I thought I'd gotten away with it," Barrios said. "But I still take my hat off to Manny. It was an honor to share the ring with him, someone so experienced who has accomplished so much in this sport. We left it all in the ring."
Far from having made an impression, Barrios, who had two draws since the one against the American Abel Ramos last November, admitted that he had been impressed by the remarkable reserves of energy and endurance of Pacquiao, who was fighting the 73rd fight of his career (62 wins, 8 losses, 3 draws).
"It's crazy (...) he's still so strong. His timing, his rhythm, everything," he said.
Both boxers agreed that a rematch should take place, with Pacquiao having received an exemption from the WBC for this fight, allowing its former champions to fight for a title when they come out of retirement.
Le Parisien