Manny Pacquiao In Final Fight Of Career, Beats Timothy Bradley
Manny Pacquiao used speed and power to knock down Timothy Bradley twice, and bested him with a 116-110 unanimous decision at the end of the twelfth and final round. The bout, which by Pacquiao’s own admission, was his last one and took place Saturday night, April 9, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
According to The Guardian, Congressman Manny from Sarangani province in the Philippines, dropped Timothy Bradley twice, first in the seventh round and next in the ninth en route to a clear-cut win. At the wrap-up of his boxing career, Pacquiao was already looking at a different fight, his run for a senate seat in the May 9 Philippine elections.
The Filipino boxer was asked about the power of his left-handed blows rendering Bradley ineffective throughout the rounds except for the first and last. He gave his usual Manny Paquiao shrug-off response with words that were, as expected, self-effacing.
“Every round, I was looking for a knockout but Bradley was too tough.”
Bradley (33-2-1, 13 KOs) made his own assessment of the fight reminiscent of two previous matches where he got caught in similar nightmare jams. He gave Manny Pacquiao (57-6-2, 38 KOs) credit for his speed.
“He was a step ahead of me. I was supposed to be a step ahead of him.”
According to BBC, Manny Pacquiao, 37, knocked down Timothy Bradley, 32, in the seventh and ninth rounds of the third welterweight meeting between the two. Pacquiao, who rebounded from a split-decision defeat by Bradley in 2012 with a clear victory two years later, emerged as the more menacing after a tentative first round.
A poignant development happened in the form of spectators spontaneously standing up at the Garden Arena and applauding during a lull in the twelfth round. It was as if the crowd were bidding Manny Pacquiao adieu in his final fight.
ESPN determined it a sweet victory for Manny Pacquiao to have brought his fight trilogy with Bradley to a 2-1 close. Bradley was awarded a hugely controversial split decision when they met for the first time in 2012, though Pacquiao appeared to dominate that fight. Then the fighting congressman got a unanimous decision in their 2014 rematch, which he also dominated. Fight number 3 brings the unsettled question to a close with Pacquiao besting Bradley of Palm Springs, California, reinforced by the decision of three ringside judges.
Bradley went aggressive in the first two-and-a-half rounds, even outpointing Pacquiao after three. However, Pacquiao found his range with his killer left in the fourth round, and the tables turned drastically.
When Bradley fell in the seventh, he seemed to have slipped after absorbing a combination, but his glove did touch the canvas. Bradley tried to recoup in the eighth with a flurry of combinations that at one point jammed Manny against the ropes. Bradley continued his aggression in the ninth, but Pacquiao fought back, capitalizing on a missed jab by his opponent. A Pacquiao left slipped past Bradley’s defense and knocked him to the floor.
After Manny’s win, there was some back-and-forth about how things turned out the way they did. Bradley offered the following explanation of his loss to Pacquiao.
“That just boils down to concentration. I just lost concentration and he’d come on strong in the end.”
Trainer Freddie Roach said before the fight that he would support whatever decision Manny made about his career. However, after watching how well Pacquiao conducted himself in the fight, Roach said he would be happy to see the Filipino boxer continue.
Manny Pacquiao’s departing comment to reporters left some leeway for speculation.
“I have a commitment to my family that I am going to retire after this, but I don’t know. Maybe I will enjoy being a retired man and helping the people. Thank you to all the fans in boxing, especially Filipinos. I appreciate all of your help and support.”
A Manny Pacquiao sequel would always be welcome.
[Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images]
