Manny Pacquiao may have fallen short for a winning return to the ring but his majority draw decision against reigning champion Mario Barrios proved to be enough to earn him another honor.

The World Boxing Council feted Pacquiao with the 2025 Comeback of the Year award after reviving his professional career from a four-year inactivity and then forcing the much-younger Barrios to a draw in their welterweight championship last July.

“The Filipino legend proved that he is still world class. Pacquiao returned to the ring showing flashes of the speed and power that made him a global icon, inspiring millions with his discipline despite the passage of time,” the WBC said.

At 46 years old, Pacquiao made his return to the ring, aiming to reset his own record of being the oldest welterweight champion — a feat he achieved when he defeated Keith Thurman at 40-years-old back in 2019.

The Filipino boxing great did look close to achieving that again against Barrios, who many believed fought too cautiously against Pacquiao.

A late rally from Barrios, however, proved to be enough to hack out a majority draw decision with two judges scoring the bout 114-114 and one in his favor, 115-113.

Pacquiao’s camp, even after the loss, assured that the Filipino will remain active, even announcing back in October a supposed January 24 fight in Las Vegas.

The plan, however, was scrapped as the talks of a possible fight between Pacquiao and World Boxing Association (WBA) title holder Rolly Romero also bogged down largely due to the latter’s mandatory defense against Shakhram Giyasov.