By Jordan Capobianco: Over the biased nonsense of the Boxnation announcers, and the clamor of Manny Pacquiao’s fervent fans, and all the expectation and hype and not-very-good 24/7 episodes on HBO, one truth emerged: Manny Pacquiao won.

But then he didn’t win, which is when all the talk started: Pacquiao, Bradley, the judges, the scorecards, a rigged game, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Bob Arum, and just how much of a factor money is in this sport. And the snowball of a slightly bad decision in a close fight turned into an avalanche of the worst decision in 30 years.

And it’s easy to see where all the talk came from. During the fight, Steward, Kellerman and Lampley were busy making a close fight into a one-sided domination by Pacquiao. A good fighter (Bradley) vs. a great fighter (Pacquiao). 11 rounds to 1. Bradley didn’t win a round at all. Questions about the qualifications of the judges before the decision was ever handed down at all. And then, once the crowd heard “And new…” from Micheal Buffer, the roar of boos from the Pacquiao fans inside the MGM Grand Garden Arena were enough to deafen even the most reasonable viewer. And that was before every sports media columnist and announcer in the entire world, it seems, started to complain about the verdict. It was outrageous. It was one of the worst calls boxing has ever seen. It rings the death bell of boxing forevermore.

Yeah, it doesn’t.

Pacquiao’s left hand was the dominant punch of the fight, no question. Bradley never answered it. Bradley did an amazing job of staying on his feet, which were a mixture of injured and healthy. Bradley proved he has a tough chin, taking several rocking punches from Pacquiao without ever falling, or even looking like he was about to. Bradley went “wild,” throwing wide, looping punches, ducking around the ring to get away from Pacquiao, trying to set up an opening, or at least bide himself time to figure out how to hit Pacquiao and do some damage. Trying to figure out the angles on Pacquiao who, while merely a husk of his former self, was still the stronger, faster fighter. But Bradley didn’t figure it out. He tried his best, and it was a valiant effort, but Bradley still lost 116-112 by the author’s scorecard.

This fight was not a landslide. It was not a domination. The decision was not the worst decision since Leonard vs. Hearns. The fight was not rigged. It was a close fight, and the judges, at worst, got it a little wrong.

So why all the drama?

Well, there are a lot of Mayweather fans who don’t want to say Bradley lost, as if Bradley’s losing would in some way mean that Pacquiao could beat Mayweather, which from what happened in the ring is ludicrous to the point of being delusional. The Pacquiao we saw against Bradley wouldn’t stand a chance against Mayweather anymore than Zab Judah or Miguel Cotto did. Fighters with overdeveloped left hands and underdeveloped rights don’t do well against Mayweather. We know it because we’ve seen it.

And there are a lot of Mayweather fans who don’t want Pacquiao to have lost, because in the event that Mayweather ever fights Pacquiao, it will diminish the magnitude of the fight. Except that fight was never going to happen anyway.

And there are a lot of Pacquiao fans who are just that: Pacquiao fans. Not boxing fans. And they are outraged that their favorite boxer had a close call go against him. Not based on anything going on in the ring. Just based on the fact that Manny Pacquiao is Manny Pacquiao.

And there are a lot of sports journalists who don’t have any idea what actually happened in the ring who are all too happy to jump on the “Pacquiao was robbed” bandwagon. And there’s Bob Arum, who regardless of what he does, will always be suspected of some slimy behavior. And deservedly so. But that’s not what happened here.

This drama isn’t a drama. It’s a non-issue. It’s hype. It’s money. It’s a close fight between two of the biggest fighters of the era coming to a controversial conclusion, which now requires a rematch that no one really even wants to see. And if you’re shocked, you ought to get used to it. This is how it’s always been.

Welcome to boxing.