Revisiting Manny Pacquiao & Timothy Bradley fight

By Boxing News - 01/02/2013 - Comments

pac453by Klaas Mabetlela: I have just finished watching for the third time the WBO welterweight title fight that took place early last year between Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley. It amazes me that Manny Pacquiao and his entourage as well as some respected boxing aficionados dismisses it as the night of robbery. The WBO climbed into the bandwagon too and poor Timothy Bradley is not given the credit he so fully deserves.

Surely, it was a close fight but it certainly is not one of the worst decisions I have ever seen in my years of boxing. I do not think that it was that difficult to judge either. It is a kind of 7-5 fight (in rounds) and whoever wins depended on judging preference, meaning that it would have gone either way. Bradley opened well in the first 2 rounds and closed strongly in the last 3 rounds. What happened in between depends on preference of judging. Pacquiao won his rounds big but there was one or 2 rounds that were on the fence as neither did enough to win.

It should also be noted that Manny Pacquiao has a tendency to ‘steal’ rounds by throwing flurries during last seconds of the round. This may sway a round in the hands of an inexperienced judge. In fact, Pacquiao’s tendency to through wild flurries during the last seconds of the round is the key to his brutal knockout loss in the hands on Juan Marquez. Marquez know that and times him to perfection in the 6th round of their fight.

Personally, I dislike fighters who give away championship rounds as Manny Pacquiao did and I do not mind if they pay the price. I am not sure if it was due to Pacquiao being unable to keep the pace for all 12 rounds or Bradley’s boxing prowess during those key rounds. It reminded me of the unification super-fight between of Felix Trinidad and scar De La Hoya where De La Hoya gave away the championship rounds after thoroughly out-boxing Trinidad during the middle rounds. De La Hoya lost a disputed decision and his unbeaten record in that fight.

I have seen hotly debated decisions and daylight robberies but I do not think that the fight between Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley belonged in that bill.

Regards,



Comments are closed.