Manny Pacquiao Defeats Timothy Bradly In His Final Fight

Manny Pacquiao came back with a bang on Saturday night, defeating Timothy Bradley by a unanimous points decision after knocking him down twice in the 12-round welterweight bout, reports Tim Dahlberg of ABC News. The first knockdown came in the seventh round, but Bradley appeared to have slipped. In the ninth round, however, Pacquiao caught him with a huge left hand that sent him to the canvass. This coming after nearly 12 months out of the ring after his defeat against Floyd Mayweather Jr. in May 2015. The fight was scored 116-110 by all three ringside judges, with the Associated Press scoring it 117-110.

The fight started slowly, with both fighters taking time to settle down and feel each other out, resulting in little action. Pacquiao came across a little rusty and Bradley was cautious, staying outside avoiding a slogging match. After picking up the pace, attacking with a right jab followed by a left, Pacquiao caught Bradley with a one-two combination which sent him to his knees for what was ruled as the first knockdown by referee Tony Weeks. “He was very quick, very explosive,” Bradley said.

Prior to the fight, Pacquiao commented that he felt refreshed and stronger than ever after his break. He added that he was hungry for a knockout, his last one in this division being in 2009 against Miguel Cotto.

“I was looking for a knockout in every round. He’s a very tough fighter and a very good counter puncher,” he said.

The injury inflicted to his right shoulder in the Mayweather fight seemed to cause no problems as he continuously sought out the big punches, connecting often enough to keep Bradly on the defensive. After the ninth-round knockdown, Bradley’s spirit seemed broken.

The fight ended with many of the 14,665 strong crowd at the MGM arena on their feet chanting “Manny! Manny!” as he tried desperately to finish Bradley. This was not to be, but the result still weighed heavily in his favor.

“Manny was strong the entire fight and he was also very patient,” Bradley said after the fight. “I wasn’t professional enough to stay patient myself and I walked into shots.”

Bradley vowed this was to be his best fight, even though he entered the ring with the odds being two to one against him. His new trainer, Teddy Atlas, did a good job in his corner, at times having to be ushered out of the ring by officials so the next round could start.

“Teddy obviously made a difference,” Pacquiao said. “This was the best Timothy Bradley I have faced in the three fights.”

Fight Night | Pacquiao-Bradley FULL PPV Highlights | #PacBradley https://t.co/rblmmwuvAQ pic.twitter.com/PyTKnDhMX9

— Manny Pacquiao (@MannyPacquiaoTR) April 12, 2016

If this was indeed Manny’s last fight, he leaves as one of the biggest pay-per-view attractions, having generated more than $1.2 billion in his 22 pay-per-view fights.

In his 21-year professional career, the 37-year old Pacquiao is the only boxer to accomplish wins in 8 weight class titles and will go down as one of the great fighters of his era, said Bleacher Report. With Pacquiao’s retirement, boxing is undoubtedly losing one of its few remaining superstars.

He will now pursue his political career in the Philippines, where he is running for Senate candidate, and has hinted at running for Presidency. He also mentioned in the days leading up to the fight that his family wanted him to retire. “As of now I am retired, I am going to go home and think about it but I want to be with my family. I want to serve the people,” Pacquiao said.

[Photo by Isaac Brekken/AP Images]