The dust has settled following the Manny Pacquiao-Mario Barrios fight on Saturday (and Manny’s name comes first because the winner goes first; the heck with the official verdict of a draw) – and it’s fair to say Manny is the only fighter of the two receiving praise. Coming back the way he did at age 46, this something so many “experts” said would end in sad, car crash fashion for the all-time great, Pacquiao proved so many people wrong.
Despite failing, on the official cards at least, to win the fight and with it the WBC welterweight title, Pac-Man showed us all once again what a truly special fighter he really is. Now, talk has turned to what will come next for Mega-Manny – a rematch with Barrios, a fight with WBA 147 pound belt-holder Rolly Romero, or even a hugely lucrative rematch with Floyd Mayweather.
Before that question gets answered, it’s worth hearing what former two-weight champ Paulie Malignaggi had to say about the Pacquiao-Barrios fight, and about Barrios in particular. Speaking on his always entertaining Paulie TV podcast, “The Magic Man” really did lay into Barrios.
What Did Malignaggi Really Think of Barrios’s Performance?
“Mario Barrios sucks,” Malignaggi said. “He sucks, just a horrible, horrible champion. Might be the worst champion I’ve ever seen in my life. I thought Manny won the fight. I thought Pacquiao got robbed. Guy is horrible (Barrios). What a horrible fighter.”
Ouch!
Is Malignaggi being too harsh here, or is he onto something? Leading up to the fight in Las Vegas on Saturday, Barrios said again and again that he would fight with a “kill or be killed” attitude and mentality, with him also saying he had been studying footage of the savage one-punch KO Mexican great Juan Manuel Marquez took Pacquiao out with in their final fight. Barrios even suggested he might be able to emulate that stunning knockout. Not even close. Famed trainer Abel Sanchez<, who spoke with Fight Hub TV, stated that Barrios approached Manny with far too much respect, with the result being the fight was akin to a “sparring session.” Certainly, Barrios didn’t go for it with gusto.
Does Barrios Deserve Another Mega Payday?
This begs the question, does Barrios actually deserve another big payday with a Pacquiao rematch? Not in the opinion of Malignaggi, he doesn’t. But is Barrios really one of the worst world champions ever, if not THE worst?
Paulie’s made his feeling clear here. How about you – agree or disagree? And another question: who would you prefer to see Manny fight next – Barrios, Romero, or Floyd?
