By Lungani Zama
IOL News
Filipino Manny Pacquiao sits in his corner following the eleventh round of his WBO welterweight title fight against Timothy Bradley.
Filipino Manny Pacquiao sits in his corner following the eleventh round of his WBO welterweight title fight against Timothy Bradley.
As if losing to Timothy Bradley wasn’t bad enough, Manny Pacquiao then had to deal with his mama wading into the argument.
The Filipino slugger was supposed to be nearing the end of his career, but he will have to put those plans on hold for a rematch with Bradley first. And if he didn’t really feel like it, his mother’s fury would have sent him straight back into the gym already.
Mrs Pacquiao, who you may have expected to not even watch her son trading blows at the age of 63, showed she was no shrinking violet, as she lambasted the judges, the referee… in fact, anyone who could have had anything to do with the dodgy outcome of last week’s scrap in Vegas.
At this rate, Pacquiao would do well to let his mama do the talking on future 24/7 shows. While the southpaw is reserved and respectful, his mama clearly has no issue with voicing her opinions. You can just imagine her trading insults and handbags with Floyd Mayweather to hype up a fight that may never materialise now.
Nevermind that Mayweather is busy watching his back in prison for beating up his former lover. The so-called superfight always rested on both men coming into the ring at their best.
Even if Pacquiao spanks the grin off Bradley’s face in a rematch later this year, considerable gloss has been wiped off the proposed “Fight of the Century” by Bradley’s mugging of Pacquiao.
And on the evidence of his last few fights, maybe avoiding Mayweather may not be the worst thing for Pacman. He was lucky to beat Juan Manuel Marquez on points, which probably explains why he hasn’t grumbled too much about the Bradley result. Karma is a bitch, they say.
What will concern him and his camp more, is his sudden inability to kill off opponents.
For years, he has enhanced his street cred by taking the decision out of dozy judges’ hands – he has simply blitzed all comers into a puddle of their own blood.
Now suddenly, he is looking a lot more laboured and the smart money suggests that Mayweather would pick him off at will, tainting a legacy that has always been built on courage and explosiveness.
Maybe, just maybe, Pacquiao needs to ignore his mother’s advice, and retire sooner rather than later. Boxing is littered with the battered egos of fighters who went on for a scrap too many.
Mayweather, hate him or not, has always insisted he will retire on his terms. No one will look after him once he is retired, he insists.
And Pacquiao only needs look at his trainer for evidence of what boxing can do to the human body. Brilliant mind that Freddie Roach is, the Parkinson’s that ravages his bones is down to refusing to let go when others told him it was time to stop the batterings. And now he is paying the price.
Speaking of paying a heavy toll, Harry Redknapp was fired by Tottenham Hotspur this week. A surprise to some, but I say good riddance.
’Arry contrived to squander a massive lead in third place, as he let the hysteria of the national team job distract him. It was shameless flirting, and lest we forget, the FA’s sweet nothings probably saved Redknapp from doing some time in prison for his dodgy deals at Portsmouth.
He has always left on his own terms, leaving the likes of West Ham, Southampton and Portsmouth in tatters when the call came from a bigger club.
He will inevitably get sympathy from those obsessed with all things English, but the truth is that ’Arry’s sole success was the FA Cup with Portsmouth – and the club is still recovering from the financial ruins that his expensively assembled squad left them in.
But don’t be too surprised if he springs up in the Premiership again. Like dodgy MPs, football managers always find a way to get back in the system, as desperate club owners find a reason to give them yet another chance to blow their budgets.
Now what is that saying about a fool and his money again?
http://www.iol.co.za/sport/time-for-pacquiao-to-go-1.1320656#.T950evFpf9A
Since his fight with M. Marquez, M. Pacquiao is not the same as before. All the predictions of knockout did not happened. A rematch with Bradley will surely give him a second defeat. M.P. spirit is willing but his flesh getting weaker. Time for him to hang up the gloves. What he wants to prove? He is on the top pinnacle of success and getting beaten again is a shame.
MP did not lose to TB. In the eyes of the Boxing world the judges shock the world by giving the fight to TB in a silver platter. There is no second defeat.
Pacquiao-Bradley Conspiracy Theory – New Angle
Why and How the Fight was Fixed
I am fan of boxing for many years and still prefer the sweet science over emerging alternatives such as mixed martial arts (MMA and UFC), however, the decision victory given to Bradley over Pacquiao last June 9,2012 dampened my enthusiasm and strengthened my belief that the sport is controlled by organized gambling syndicate/mafia. In connection with this, I would like to present a new and highly plausible explanation on why and more importantly, how the gambling syndicate manipulated the key players and pulled the strings on their “puppet show” to determine the outcome of the match.
1. Why was the fight rigged?
The organized gambling syndicate in boxing monitored the ongoing betting in connection with the fight in its vast network of betting stations – both legal and illegal- above ground and underground within the U.S. and around the world. Days before the fight, the betting figures could have soared to several hundred million dollars. For illustration purposes, we could say that approximately 10,000 bets were placed on Pacquiao by big time gamblers with an average bet of US$100,000 per bet for a total of US$1 Billion with an estimated return of about US$250Million in case of a Pacquiao win. Only around 1,000 big time bets averaging also US$100,000 on the other hand, were placed in favor of Bradley totaling US$100Million with a possible return of US$360 Million given a Bradley win. Given the huge amount of money to be earned, the gambling mafia of boxing decided to pull the strings to give Bradley the decision since they expected to earn US$1Billion from the Pacquiao bets and lose only around US$360Million to pay for the Bradley bets, thus generating a net earning of around US$640 Million- a gigantic amount that is hard to forego as it could even possibly surpass the combined potential earnings of broadcast networks, promotional companies, individual fighters and other beneficiaries of the proposed superfight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr.
2. How the fight was rigged/how were the key players manipulated?
The gambling syndicate deployed covert operatives to manipulate the key players individually/separately, notably- the three judges and most probably Pacquiao himself with a mix of misinformation, deception, bribe/pseudo-bribe and possibly, even threat.
2.1 Judges Ford and Ross. For the two judges who scored the bout in favor of Bradley, the operatives may have introduced themselves as members of an underground organization that loves boxing and seeks to keep the sport interesting and continually growing by trying to make bouts exciting and unpredictable and also ensure that new boxing superstars are continually produced. The operatives would (mis)inform the judges that they don’t care if either Pacquiao knocks out Bradley or vice-versa as both scenarios will bode well for the sport. A Pacquiao knock out will lead to a multi-million dollar showdown between Pacquiao and Mayweather, while a Bradley win by knockout or domination of Pacquiao will usher the rise of a new superstar and pave the way for a mouth-watering mega-million round robin among Pacquiao, Mayweather and Bradley. The operatives would tell the judges that their concern is if Pacquiao simply dominates Bradley as this will result to the latter being dismissed as a non-elite fighter and result to a dearth of boxing superstars and a decline of boxing once Pacquiao and Mayweather retire from the sport. The judges were then asked in the scenario of no knockout and domination of Bradley by Pacquiao to score the fight close but in favor of the former. This would not affect the outcome of the match as the two other judges would most likely score the bout in favor of Pacquiao. The “surprise” split decision would create some uncertainty and unpredictability in the sport and spur a continuing plot of controversies which could somehow translate to interest and excitement in boxing while at the same time sanitizing Bradley’s record in paper and “preserving” him as a future boxing superstar who could fill the void when Pacquiao and Mayweather leave the sport. The two judges were therefore tricked into believing that in the event of a no-knockout Pacquiao domination, they would only be playing a “mild” prank that would not alter the outcome of the match, but would help the sport sustain its momentum. On top of this sweet talk and deception, the judges may have also been bribed with six or seven digit figures and may have even been threatened by telling them that there is also a group that has invested millions to make Bradley the future boxing superstar, and that this group could possibly become hostile if their ends are not realized.
2.2 Judge Roth. The convincing on the judge that scored the bout close but in favor of Pacquiao followed the same pattern as discussed above for the two other judges except that the mild “prank” would involve scoring the bout close but in favor of Pacquiao in case the match turns out to be a Pacquiao domination but without a knockout.
2.3 Pacquiao. The gambling syndicate may also have employed a mix of deception, misinformation and possibly pseudo bribe, or even threat that had the pound for pound superstar fall victim and participate in the fix. An operative from the syndicate may have introduced himself/herself to Pacquiao as a member of a behind the scenes organization that seeks to promote the continued growth of boxing by ensuring the emergence of future boxing stars that would carry the torch when both him and Mayweather leave the sport. The operatives may have convinced Pacquiao that Bradley is a kind, humble person and a loving family oriented guy who has a similar rag to riches story and could therefore fill in the void when the pound for pound king retires from the sport. Knocking Bradley out will be detrimental to boxing as it will strike out from elite status a possible candidate superstar who could replace Pacquiao. It will curb the momentum of the sport by derailing Bradley’s rise and interfere with the sustaining plot of good vs. evil superstar matchups that had time and again proven to give the sport a boost. Pacquiao may have been asked by the (gambling syndicate) operative to just show his superiority and settle for a victory on points and also not to completely overwhelm Bradley. The deception of not going for a knockout for the future “good” of the sport may have been mixed with a pseudo bribe whereby Pacquiao may have been offered perhaps a few million dollars to be donated to his favorite charity or church organization or to finance projects for his congressional district in case he did not go for the kill or knockout. The operative may or may not have tossed in or hinted some form of threat by telling Pacquiao that there is a group that has invested millions for Bradley to be the future boxing superstar and they would likely be hostile in case the latter was knocked out.
Pacquiao may have been deceived by this manipulation and therefore took it easy on Bradley. This can be observed may times during the match. While Pacquiao has been known to dish out a lot of 4 or 5 punch combinations during matches in his entire career, these salvos were sparingly thrown during the match with Bradley. It is also hard to believe that while Bradley injured his ankle and could not fight one hundred percent during most of the match, the pound for pound king still could not finish him. In fact, there were several awkward instances in the fight when Bradley seemed to have lost his footing perhaps due to the injury and had his arms down at the same time, and because of the difficulty of regaining his footing due to the injury, seemed to have frozen for a moment like a sitting duck standing close to and within punching range of Pacquiao, but the latter did not try to throw even a single punch. Also several slow motion clips showed that when Pacquiao fired a combination and connects with a punch that throws Bradley offguard and thus more vulnerable to follow ups, the succeeding punches often miss their mark, possibly thrown by Pacquiao with the intention to miss or overshoot the target. Pacquiao seems to have willingly held off his offense in numerous occasions during the fight.
3. Bob Arum. Although I know that Bob Arum is one of the power players of the sport who tries to exert his influence so that things (e.g. money) will play (flow) out in his favor, I cannot say if he was party to the manipulations or if he had prior knowledge of what happened . He may or may not, but I pity him for being tagged outright by some as brains of the fiasco.
4. To sum up, the outcome of the fight was cleverly manipulated by the powers that be in boxing. The three judges and perhaps even Pacquiao were individually coaxed, cajoled and tricked into believing that they would only fight or do things a “little different” without really altering the outcome of the match in order to sustain the momentum of boxing. The three had no idea that they were to become puppets in an organized and cleverly orchestrated plot to manipulate the outcome of the match. Pacquiao knew that he was winning during the match but did not know that the judges had been bought. The individual judges on the other hand, thought that each of them were the only one to give a deviant score card which would not alter the outcome of the match. Six or seven digit bribes for the judges and pseudo bribes for Pacquiao in the form of donation to the boxer’s favorite charity, church organization or project for his congressional district, and some degree of threat may have been tossed in the mix to effect the convincing of the key players. Bradley was never part of the fix.
5. Other high profile matches and how they were possibly rigged.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Victor Ortiz. Mayweather, possibly in partnership with Golden Boy Promotions could have likely rigged the fight. Victor Ortiz may have been reminded that he should be thankful and gratefully indebted to the organizers for awarding him the fight with the seven digit purse guarantee. Ortiz may have been told “Welcome to the big league son. It is time for you to know that at the highest level of boxing some matches are rigged to maximize the earnings and sustain the momentum of the sport.” A Mayweather defeat (against Ortiz) will derail the momentum of boxing and dampen the enormous earning potential of a Pacquiao-Mayweather showdown. Participating in the fix would be good for boxing and also for Ortiz who possibly could have been offered additional million dollar bonus which could be recouped by the perpetrators Mayweather/ and GBP by betting on the undefeated superstar. The script will not make Ortiz look bad, furthermore GBP will manage his career well, get him into good fights and make him the next boxing superstar after Pacquiao and Mayweather retire from the sport. With the referee bought to follow the script, Mayweather Jr. was so sure of the outcome and also of Ortiz’s complicity that he had been so arrogant and cocky to hold the latter (Ortiz) by the neck during the stare down session of the official weigh-in for the bout. Mayweather must have in mind that “I can hold and even choke you by the neck because I will be paying you big and you are my puppet.” Ortiz, given the bonus obliged to be the puppet and swallowed his pride by allowing the chokehold hang for quite some time. Mayweather in fact made a pronouncement in one of his interviews that at the highest level, boxing is no longer real anymore.
Dela Hoya vs. Trinidad. Golden Boy Promotions may have approached Trinidad Camp to make the fight competitive in the first nine or ten rounds without anyone going for a knockout. This will make the fight close and pave the way for a possible mega-million dollar rematch or even trilogy. Then De la Hoya ran the few remaining rounds to avoid being knocked out.
Dela Hoya vs. Mayweather. The two camps could have agreed to make the first eight to ten rounds close and competitive without anyone going for a knockout for the same reason as the Dela Hoya vs. Trinidad match up. Mayweather however, was not a power puncher so Dela Hoya did not have to run but only exercised caution during the last few rounds.
Mosely vs. Alvarez. The fight was rigged. GBP convinced Mosely to take it easy on Alvarez so that boxing will sustain its momentum with the continued rise of a new darling superstar or future golden boy. Mosely complied with the “noble” intention of giving back to ensure the continued “growth” of the business side of the sport which he so dearly love, notwithstanding that he would in effect be thrashing its very essence of competition. You can observe that during the match with Alvarez, Mosely did not throw even a few powerful over hand rights which had been the trademark of his career. During the early going, Mosely threw a lot of short and slow punches which Alvarez could not even fend off or avoid. The reflex of the upstart was so slow and inexperienced that the whole match, Mosely minimized or did not throw if at all, his vaunted over hand right. A lot of the punches Mosely threw were wide or preceded by cocking the arm so they can be telegraphed or during the few times they were thrown fast, the punches were deliberately made to overshoot the target. Alvarez fought valiantly but did not know that his opponent was holding off his offense.
Pacquiao vs. Margarito. Pacquiao let Margarito off the hook in the last two rounds because of his compassion, and also because he understands the business side of boxing. Maragarito who was in the same promotional outfit was at that time, being groomed for a multi-million dollar grudge match with Cotto.
6. Given these possibilities, I hope the boxing community come together to introduce reforms that will prevent these types of manipulations in order to restore and elevate the sport to its former glory.