The Whole Truth: Pacquiao – Bradley

By Dr.SweetScience - 03/25/2014 - Comments

pac734I have had it up to my eyebrows listening to so-called writers, columnists, experts, and fans talking about Manny Pacquiao – Tim Bradley. Cutting to the chase, it’s been a load of garbage from all angles. A million talking heads blathering on from a specific place located approximately three feet south of the mouth on the opposite side of their body. Sometimes a word of truth is spoken, most of the time there’s very little. Meanwhile vast amounts to insipid conjecture flood cyberspace as well as the very air we breath tainting both in the process. I come bearing the latter.

First and foremost; Timothy Bradley was gifted one of the worst decisions in the history of boxing and not one word of that is hyperbole. Secondly, any arguments regarding prior decisions given to Pacquiao are irrelevant to that matter. Third, there’s no way Timothy Bradley actually believes he won the first fight by any measure  (forget the margin 8-4) . He has to say that or else he’s admitting his record is a lie and his title is illegitimate. I just wanted to get those few things out of the way first.

Moving on….Enough with the talk that Pacquiao is a shot fighter, he doesn’t have what it takes anymore, he’s lost his killer instinct, etc…Not to say that he should be free from any kind of criticism or analysis, but if you think you deserve a shred of credibility it would be wise to acknowledge instead that Pacquiao has merely went from being a one trick pony to a more well rounded boxer. It’s a deceiving look but the proof is in the pudding. Pacquiao was a one handed fighter with loads of speed and a defense that consisted of offense. Now he’s a two handed fighter with loads of speed, a solid defense, smarter footwork, and the composure to intelligently pick his spots. The last time he took to heart what other people had to say in that respect (the armchair experts) and reverted to his old ways, Juan Manuel Marquez put a sleeper on him that I still wake up feeling to this day. The fact of the matter is that Pacquiao is no less of a fighter than he was at any time in the past. His style may have changed, maybe even out of necessity since time does take it’s toll, but to say that he’s a shell of his former self, shot, doesn’t have it anymore…That’s just foolishness.

On to Bradley. I’m compelled to feel sorry for him in some ways because he’ll never shake the stigma of that lousy decision from the first fight. However, If there were any questions as to whether Timothy Bradley was a top tier fighter worthy of the title he holds (Pacquiao decision aside) those should all have been answered in his two bouts since then. Against Ruslan Provodnikov, Bradley showed more guts, more grit, and more determination than any man has a right to. He showed old school toughness that is rarely put on display in these timid times and won the hard way. His contest with Marquez was another beautiful outing showing that Bradley has tact, poise, discipline, and all the tools to tangle with even the most technically sound in the division. He beat Marquez by a convincing margin, and Marquez at times should have just been glad that Bradley doesn’t pack the kind of punch Manny has been known to deliver. Regardless of the Pacquiao fight, no one can say Bradley is anything less than one of the elite fighters in his division to put it modestly. On a personal note, I doubt Bradley is the kind of fighter Floyd Mayweather wants anything to do with.

The bottom line on this fight is that it’s only happening because A. neither man can seal a deal with Mayweather mostly due to their affiliation with Bob Arum, B. neither guy is willing to take a greater risk with other viable options out there at the moment, and most importantly C. Bob Arum isn’t willing to let either man take greater risk with other viable options out there at the moment. He’s holding Pacquiao and Bradley so close to the chest they’ve got his pacemaker clocked. Arum is deathly afraid of losing what value he has in either man and doesn’t want to be shut out as a result of their stock falling should any younger, or simply better fighters come along and knock Bradley or Pacquiao off their Top Rank perch, especially if they aren’t signed to Top Rank already.

None of that is good for Arum and by now you should know that’s all that matters in his mind. Forget the prestige or legacy of boxing, forget the fans, forget about trying to put together fights that will dazzle and thrill, the lining of Bob Arums’ pocket is the only factor in the matchmaking going on at Top Rank. For all the talk about wanting a Mayweather bout you’ve heard in the past from Arum, that’s easily one of the lowest priorities on his list as long as he can keep putting his in house fighters together at a profit. If Mayweather beats either of his top commodities what is he going to do? You can’t just go out and get another marquee name or create one over night.

Either way, Pacquiao and Bradley will face off once again, no matter who wins or loses both guys will make a lot of money, Arum will make more, Mayweather will fight after that is over and make more money than all of them, something or maybe nothing will be solved as a result of all of it, and the fans will continue to wait to see Mayweather and Pacquiao finally go at it if that’s still even a possibility. I’d like to have a more positive take on the matter but what’s real and what’s pleasant aren’t always the same thing. Reality doesn’t often give us what we want to be true, none the less we are left with the whole truth and how we choose to deal with it.



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