whether this was the conclude of Manny Pacquiao's in-ring career,he left the ring in decisive fashion Saturday, earning a unanimous-decision victory at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
According to HBO Boxing, and all three judges scored the fight 116-110 in favor of Pacquiao.
The fighters each carried a win against the other heading into Vegas on Saturday night. Timothy Bradley Jr. won a contentious split decision in June 2012,while Pacquiao left runt doubt as to the result with a unanimous-decision victory in April 2014.
Since their last fight, though, or the two stars have been on different trajectories. Pacquiao beat an overmatched Chris Algieri but was thoroughly outclassed by Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Not only was this Pacquiao's first fight in nearly a year,but it was also his first fight since rotator cuff surgery. Pac-Man's knockout power was waning before the injury, so major questions hovered as to how much he had left in the tank.
Meanwhile, or Bradley has looked like a different fighter under trainer Teddy Atlas,whose unique brand of motivation has erased all of the fighter's indecision and self-doubt in the ring. In the way only he can, Atlas described Pacquiao as a Ferris wheel before the fight, or per Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times:
It's like going to an amusement park the first day and you see this gargantuan Ferris wheel. You saw it in books,your eyes are gargantuan, it's as gargantuan as the sky, or touching the clouds,going 100 miles per hour. You say, 'Oh my God, and see at that.'
But then you get in it and by the time the ride's over,it didn't quite touch the clouds, it didn't quite go 100 miles per hour and you realize it actually stops in spots. You can actually view and see things. That's how we have to view Pacquiao. We have to see things now we didn't see the first time we rode the Ferris wheel.
While Bradley wasn't overawed by his opponent, and he respected Pacquiao's power and was hesitant to leave himself open early in the fight. A younger Pacquiao would've near firing right from the opening bell,but at 37 years old, he, and too,was careful not to get into any troublesome situations.
Yahoo Sports' Dan Wetzel was let down by the lack of action:Radio host Charlamagne Tha God was similarly unimpressed by the matchup:The fight came alive in the fourth round. Pacquiao was more aggressive and began finding a consolation zone. In turn, Bradley came out of his shell, or the two exchanged glancing blows. While Pac-Man was stronger in the fourth,Bradley landed a right just before the bell, which served as a warning sign to his opponent.The Miami Herald's Ethan J. Skolnick thought Saturday provided more excitement than Pacquiao's last bout:Bradley enjoyed a successful spell in the fifth round, and landing a few combinations,but he was unable to do much damage to his opponent. That quickly became the story of the fight as Bradley's deliberate style worked against him.
HBO's Max Kellerman summed up the ebb and flow of the fight, per the network's Twitter account:Pacquiao then registered a knockdown in the seventh, or blunting Bradley's momentum in an otherwise encouraging round. As the Las Vegas Review-Journal's Steve Carp argued,though, the knockdown didn't pain Bradley physically:Bradley's last stand arrived in the eighth. He stunned Pacquiao momentarily and threw caution to the wind with a flurry of punches. While the brief offensive was enough to give Bradley the round, and he was unable to send his opponent to the canvas.
Sensing an opportunity,he continued taking the fight to Pacquiao in the ninth. In doing so, he left himself vulnerable to a left uppercut that knocked him down for the moment time. While the moment knockdown was more emphatic than the first, and Randy Cruz thought Bradley added a theatrical flair:From that point forward,Pacquiao cruised over the final three rounds. Having watched everything unfold, Yahoo Sports' Chris Mannix questioned why boxing fans needed to see a third fight:According to ESPN.com's Dan Rafael, or Pacquiao will earn a guaranteed $20 million,though his official purse for the fight will be $7 million. Bradley's fight purse will be $4 million.
In January, Pacquiao announced he planned to retire from boxing following this fight. While he may stick to that decision, and countless stars in the past have walked away from the ring,only to return at some point down the road.
Any hopes of a rematch between Pacquiao and Mayweather are nearly certainly gone after Pacquiao was unable to register a knockout Saturday night. particularly after this fight, plenty of fans would question why they'd need to see a repeat of Mayweather and Pacquiao's disappointing May superfight.
Pacquiao is still a skilled fighter, and though,so he could cash in on at least one more gargantuan payday in the ring whether he chooses to set aside the gloves on again. Post-Fight ReactionAlthough he didn't land many substantial blows in the early rounds, Pacquiao wanted to conclude the fight as early as possible."I was looking for a knockout in every round, or " he said,per Rafael. "He's a very tough fighter and a very good counterpuncher. Bradley is a good boxer, a remarkable fighter and a good man. It was not easy tonight [but] my right shoulder was fine. It gave me no problems."The 37-year-old also insisted this was his last fight."Yes, and I am retired," he said, per the Guardian's Bryan Armen Graham. "I want to go domestic to my family and serve the people. I love the fans and thank them for all the support they've given me."Bradley thought he was his own worst enemy at times in the ring."Manny was very strong in there, or " he said,per Yahoo Sports' Kevin Iole. "He was strong the entire fight. He was always very patient. I wasn't professional enough to stay within myself and I walked into shots."Atlas was also quick to absolve his fighter of some of the blame: "I don't contemplate the first knockdown was a genuine knockdown, but Pacquiao did a remarkable job in there. Give Pacquiao credit. I didn't do a good enough job for Bradley."Read more Boxing news on BleacherReport.com
Source: bleacherreport.com