THE outcome of Manny Pacquiao’s ring return was a contentious one with boxing experts believing that the Filipino boxing legend had done enough to secure the victory against defending American champion Mario Barrios last month.

The fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Neveda ended in a majority draw, allowing Barriors to keep his World Boxing Council (WBC) welterweight title.

The verdict of the fight solicited varying opinions, but for the WBC, there was no doubt that the 46-year-old Pacquiao, who climbed atop the ring again after retiring more than four years ago, delivered a stellar performance worthy of recognition.

Commending Pacquiao’s performance against Barrios, the WBC awarded the ‘Pacman’ with the prestigious “Aztec Warrior Belt.”

The WBC created the Aztec Warrior Belt as a tribute to Mexican boxing legend Israel Vasquez. It is given to boxers who put up outstanding performance on top of the squared ring.

Aside from Pacquiao, the WBC also awarded Sebastian Fundora with the Aztec Warrior Belt after stopping Tim Tszyu in the undercard of the Pacquiao-Barrios card.

The eight-division world champion thanked the WBC for the award as he added another piece of hardware to his stacked collection.

“It’s a great honor to be awarded the Aztec Warrior belt, to be recognized as a Mexican warrior. I will never forget this,” Pacquiao in a video message posted on the WBC’s website.(CCM)

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• #Manny Pacquiao
• #Mario Barrios
• #MGM Grand
• #Las Vegas Nevada
• #World Boxing Council
• #WBC
• #Aztec Warrior Belt
• #Sebastian Fundora