Posted on 06/10/2012 7:04:42 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
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.
See here:
http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/boxing/post/_/id/1562/pacquiao-dominates-but-loses-split-decision
PACQUAIO DOMINATES BUT LOSES DECISION
EXCERPT ____________________
"I am confused as anyone could be," said HBO play-by-play man Jim Lampley after the news dropped that two of three judges saw Timothy Bradley beating Manny Pacquiao in a welterweight scrap on Saturday night at the MGM Grand.
Harold Lederman, the HBO judge, called the decision "absolutely incredible." Bradley never landed a real solid shot, he said, terming the decision "a crime."
I gave Bradley a single round in this pay-per-view attraction -- though some folks, apart from the judges, saw it as being much closer.
Bob Arum smiled as he hugged Bradley, knowing that a rematch is in the cards.
Pacquiao waved to the crowd and smiled. He landed almost 100 more punches, going 253-751 (punches landed/punches thrown) versus 159-839 -- so the two judges did see Bradley throwing more. Pacquiao had a 190-108 advantage in power punches landed, according to CompuBox.
SNIP SNIP
Pacquiao said afterward that he respects the judges. "It's part of the game," he said. He thought he won the fight. A rematch, in November, would be fine with him. "We respect the officials," he stated.
Jerry Roth liked Pacquiao's work, scoring it 115-113 in his favor. But he was outvoted by C.J. Ross and Duane Ford, both of whom saw it for Bradley, 115-113.
The gay activists must be ECSTATIC at this news...
Dangerous to speak out against the homosexuals. They find ways to strike back.
One of the judges was a woman. How many straight women are boxing judges. Manny paid for telling the truth about about sodomite “marriage”.
The fix was so obvious it was laughable. Bradley before the right running around showing people a poster of the rematch for November 10th.
Manny should retire. He has much better things going on in his life than to be part of the corrupt sport of boxing.
(Since Christmas 2007, when they were considered the two best boxers in the world, Pacquiao has had 10 fights, and now has another scheduled this year. Mayweather has had just 4. with nothing scheduled. He's coasting into retirement and hoping to live off of the "undefeated" nametag. Pathetic cowardly loser. I hope that's how he's remembered forever.)
Bradley lost this match. My bro and I were stunned, and the entire sports media is denouncing it. Clear Pink Mafia influence...they were told to take Manny down.
Boxing is a corrupt sport....Pacquaio was probably in on the fix......makes for a really big payoff for the rematch. I quit watching boxing years ago.
This is why I stopped watching boxing years ago. The Olympic judging is even worse.
I’m sure Bob Arum was real upset since he set up this robbery. This was the third fight I’ve watched within the past year where the judges robbed the winning fighter of victory. I am disgusted with boxing. Bradly is a good fighter and I like him but he was beaten by a wide margin by Manny.
Yeah, me too. Can’t watch a sport with such rampant corruption. To order a pay-per-view is to support and reward the corrupt enterprise. No thanks.
Their rematch should last until someone’s knocked out or quits on his stool. No judges. Pacquiao should demand it.
Boxing is a sport that has become more and more marginal and this further show of corruption will push it even further to the margins. I say good riddance. I see no appeal in watching goons try to subdue each other with blows to the head.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.