Bradley dethrones Pacquiao in controversial split victory
Written by Associated Press
Published in Malaya
LAS VEGAS. – Timothy Bradley promised to shock, though the biggest shock in his fight with Manny Pacquiao came from the judges’ scorecards.
In a fight Pacquiao seemed to have in hand, two judges decided otherwise, giving Bradley a split decision Saturday night and ending the Filipino fighter’s remarkable seven-year unbeaten run.
Promoter Bob Arum fumed, the crowd at the MGM Grand arena booed, and Pacquiao seemed stunned when the decision was announced. Arum said there would be a November rematch, though he blasted the way the decision went down.
‘’I’ve never been as ashamed of the sport of boxing as I am tonight,’’ said Arum, who handles both fighters.
Bradley came on strong in the later rounds, winning five of the last six rounds on two scorecards and four on the third. He won 115-113 on two scorecards, while losing on the third by the same margin. The Associated Press had Pacquiao winning 117-111.
‘’I did my best,’’ Pacquiao said. ‘’I guess my best wasn’t good enough.’’
Pacquiao tried to turn the fight into a brawl, using his power to hurt Bradley in the early rounds. But Bradley changed tactics in the middle rounds and used his boxing skills to win enough rounds to take the narrow decision for the welterweight title.
It ended a 15-fight winning streak by Pacquiao dating to 2005 that turned him into a boxing superstar and made him a national hero in the Philippines.
‘’I thought I won the fight,’’ Bradley said. ‘’I didn’t think he was as good as everyone says he was. I didn’t feel his power.’’
Ringside punching statistics showed Pacquiao landing 253 punches to 159 for Bradley, who vowed before the fight to take the 147-pound title from Pacquiao. The Compubox statistics showed Pacquiao landing more punches in 10 of the 12 rounds.
Bradley was so confident he had oversized tickets printed up for a Nov. 10 rematch that will now likely happen.
Bradley seemed hurt in the fourth and fifth rounds, but Pacquiao had trouble landing big punches after that. Still, he seemed in control of the fight everywhere but on the judge’s scorecards.
‘’Can you believe that? Unbelievable,’’ Arum said. ‘’I went over to Bradley before the decision and he said, ‘I tried hard but I couldn’t beat the guy.’’’
Bradley said he hurt his ankle in the second round, and that trainer Joel Diaz said he could either quit or try to take the fight to Pacquiao.
‘’I got my second wind in the sixth round,’’ Bradley said. ‘’I worked the angles, sticking and moving.’’
Pacquiao said he studied Bradley on tape before the fight and wasn’t surprised by anything he did. He said he thought he was in control of the fight and was shocked when the decision went against him.
‘’He never hurt me with his punches, most of them landed on my arms,’’ Pacquiao said.
Pacquiao tried to brawl with Bradley and seemed to hurt him in both the fourth and fifth rounds. But Bradley started moving and counter-punching, though he never seemed to land any shots that hurt Pacquiao.
Pacquiao had vowed to look impressive against Bradley after struggling in his last outing with Juan Manuel Marquez, a fight many thought he lost. And he did early, landing good long left hands while beating Bradley to the punch on most exchanges.
‘’He hurt me a couple of times with his left,’’ Bradley said. ‘’He’s a beast.’’
Trainer Freddie Roach told Pacquiao after the 10th round that he had control of the fight, and urged him to fight hard the final two rounds.
‘’You have six minutes to go, son,’’ Roach said. ‘’It’s your fight.’’
But it wasn’t Pacquiao’s fight, with Bradley getting credit for winning some of the close middle and later rounds. After the 11th round Bradley went back to his corner and trainer Joel Diaz told him he needed to win the final round.
‘’I listened to my corner,’’ Bradley said. ‘’I got to give him a rematch now.’’
Arum said there will be one on Nov. 10, though he thought Pacquiao won easily, as did most writers at ringside.
‘’I’ll make a lot of money off the rematch, but this was outrageous,’’ Arum said.
It was the biggest fight of Bradley’s career and it came with a minimum $5 million payday. The rematch will be even richer, though Pacquiao’s loss could damage any plans for a fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Mayweather did not see the fight because he is serving a sentence on a domestic abuse charge at a jail a few miles from the MGM Grand.
http://www.malaya.com.ph/index.php/news/nation/5972-las-vegas-heist
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RELATED STORY:
Pacquiao-Bradley Lederman Card and Final Punch Stat
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Pacquiao is winning, a total of 119 over Timothy Bradley 109.
http://www.boxingliveupdates.com/2012/06/pacquiao-bradley-lederman-card-and.html
This is the Biggest Scam ever in Las Vegas Nevada ever. But it must not come as a surprise as Pacquiao is old already and he must retire.
Its a clear call for him to retire before an actual call from God will come and we all do not want to see our hero just collapse in the ring.
Pastor Manny must realize that God is a good God and He is already giving Manny a Call to stop his boxing. He is famous and rich already. He should stop and retire and concentrate on his family and his Church.
Romeo, I doubt that this is one of the biggest scam that really hit Las Vegas. If it’s a scam, I’m sure there’s a lot of powerful people in Vegas that are involved in this, including Arum himself. It’s all about the money and you better believe that a re-match is already in the works. For Manny, win or loose he will still be ahead with millions of dollars filling his pocket, and Bradley too, so I really would’nt loose too much sleep over this organized grab ass.
Hi Perry:
I posted a commentary in my column here in Las Vegas Philippine Times. Here’s the last paragraph:
Whether the rematch was preplanned is the big question. Manny has been Arum’s boom to earn a lot of money. Greed? For Pac-man to accept a rematch in November and loss a fight will be a big embarrassment for him and the Filipinos since we thought that he really won the fight. I can see Pac-man appeared weaker, unable to have a knock-out punch not like in previous fights. He is getting older. I’d say, forget the millions of dollars. You have it already. People around the world declared you a winner last Saturday’s fight. My personal advice is for you ( Pacquiao) to completely retire now. You are a Filipino icon in World Boxing.
HI Doc,
I agree. Manny should hang his gloves. it’s time to do something different like serving his constituents in Sarangani.
Perry
I disagree with folks who suggest that Pacquiao must now hang his gloves and retire. Watching him fought in the ring this last, I don’t believe he had grown weaker. On the contrary, he displayed the same punching power and boxing skills as before. It was the speed and well-conditioning of Bradley (unlike his previous foes in the ring) that kept him alive and standing from Pacquiao’s power punches.
I am confident Pacquiao will beat Bradley in a must-rematch. And this time around, I hope Pacquiao—being now a sincere convert in the teachings of his faith, being now true to his God, and being loved by so many of his countrymen—will declare before the world that all, repeat all, money he gets in the rematch he will donate to his people: for construction or fixing of needed schools, for feeding the hungry and on and on. Yes, 30 million dollars will go a long way for his people. Yes, he will then be even greater than the giant that he himself is.
Yes, come on Champ, what some bruises and black eye you might get in a rematch, when there is so much you can give to your countrymen who love you beyond you know.
After, this rematch, I am first among many who will urge you to please retire…
Apparently, the fact that Manny Pacquiao landed more telling punches throughout the fight shows that he was in it to win. If there was a script which two of the judges followed, then Pacman wasn’t in on it, for he could have landed less punches to make the eventual verdict credible. I don’t agree that Pacman ought to retire. Bernard Hopkins who’s nearing 40 if he isn’t there yet is still going strong. Besides, one fight a year for the next five years, at an average earning of $30 to $50 million per fight — aside from his newfound religious faith — will keep him from stealing people’s money as congressman, governor, and eventually vice-president. Yes, he should fight to win until late 2015 — this would be his ticket to the Vice-Presidency in May 2016. Of course he won’t be the best candidate, but in this country, nobody is ever the best candidate for a government position, unless he or she is a dedicated cause-oriented person like the militants of some partylist groups like Bayan Muna and Anakpawis. But these militants, although they’ve won some seats in Congress thanks to the partylist system, will never make it to the Senate and higher positions of governance, these being the preserve of the rich and powerful dynasts most of whom — or most of whose relatives and associates — are instinctively corrupt and power hungry. So I say — going back to my original thesis — let Pacquiao fight until his legs can carry him, let him earn his millions of dollars which he might want to redistribute in part, and by golly, let’s see knock out Bradley in November (although the poor new champion is of course not to be blamed for the Matira ang Matibay fiasco). Finally, I may be a Christian, but I think the Filipinos and the pro-Pacquiao people in that Las Vegas crowd should have mauled the two highway robbers at ringside. At any rate, their photos ought to be published everywhere, and anybody should be at liberty to exact divine justice on the two. But seriously, I think they ought to be investigated, and the whole story behind their incredible arithmetic revealed to the public. we’re looking at a seething can of worms here.
It is so sad I even have to suggest Pacquiao to donate in entirety his money in his rematch against Bradley. This stems from the systemic corruption ingrained, embedded, and the norm in the country— that stand as reasons the government remains inadequate and unresponsive to its exploding poor population. Also until now the government remains scandalously deficient in actions to confiscate ill-gotten wealth by hoodlums and high-profile people such as former General Ligot, the families of late General Garcia, the demised former Chief Justice Renato Corona, Bolante, the Arroyo’s. Imagine the ill-gotten wealth by these people that can be used for the countless poor.
From the comments of Max Kellerman during the fight, is actually obvious. As if he is leading the judges on his comments.
Try to replay the fight and analyze his comments.
Eventually he gets tired of this endless trauma to his body and emotion, then he will quit without any encouragement from anyone.
When his body talk, he got no reason but to listen.
I admire Manny for being a good businessman.
Many Pinoy boxers in the past retired with nothing to show for their struggles. He is set for life as well as his children and relatives.
My advice is for him not to make any comments that will jeopardize his ads endorsement, his wallet and his family.
Stay away from the bad influence of so called friends like what you see on each fight, who does nothing to enhance the image of Manny.
Serve your constituents well, build them hospitals, good roads, schools, give them electricity, create jobs, and more jobs. You don’t have higher education but you have common sense and that is more important.
In the end, you will be remembered as a man who made lives for his people easier and happier.