The Pacquiao-Bradley Aftershock: Biases, Superstitions, Conspiracy Theories, and Realities
By Reylan Loberternos
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 11 Jun 2012
The decision was dubbed controversial by many. Majority of the media even called it a robbery. Punch stats disagree completely with the two judges? awarding of victory? but before I fall completely into a state of journalistic poetry, let?s first try to discuss, examine, and delve with a few interesting, perhaps imaginative, and even pressing stories.
Let?s start with the realities. After several years of magical run against the who?s who in the sport of boxing, Filipino boxing legend Manny ?Pacman? Pacquiao has once again tasted defeat ? to a relatively unheralded, yet undefeated fighter in Timothy ?Desert Storm? Bradley of the United States, nonetheless. CJ Ross and Duane Ford both had it 115-113 for the American, while Jerry Roth scored the bout 115-113 in favor of the Filipino, to award the split decision victory to the new welterweight champion. Punch stats show Pacquiao landing a total of 253 punches, while Bradley connected 159 times. The Pacman connected more power punches, 190 to Bradley?s 108, as well as jabs, 63 to Bradley?s 51. ?Desert Storm? may have been the busier fighter, throwing a total of 839 punches compared to Pacquiao?s 751, but the Filipino was far more efficient with a 34% connection rate, compared to Bradley?s 19% accuracy.
Now let?s discuss some conspiracy theories. Rumor has it that a very shrewd boxing promoter was behind all this. The fight result was allegedly part of a grand master plan to keep all the money in-house. If you purchased Top Rank pay-per-view instead of the HBO version, the blatantly pro-Bradley commentators seem to have played their roles well. The only problem was that every time they tried to emphasize to a fault Bradley?s presupposed ?clear? connections, the replay would show Pacquiao sneaking clear punch combinations instead. It was as if they where clowning themselves as the fight went on. It was probably, part of the rumored grand scheme. If Pacquiao won that bout, there?d be no viable opponent for the Filipino firebomb in sight, especially with Mayweather serving jailtime. The promoter not only assures himself of yet another easy payday, but also saves himself and his cohorts from lengthy back-and-forth negotiations and the hassles of choosing the would-be opponent as well. That?s pretty sound business acumen, if you?d ask me.
We now move on to the superstitions. To an avid Pacquiao follower, this might be old news already, but to those who don?t know it yet, be amazed. All of Pacquiao?s losses have come between 15 bouts of undefeated run. After his first loss to Torrecampo, Pacquiao racked up 15 consecutive victories only to lose via TKO on the 16th (vs Singsurat) bout after that first loss. Another 15 bouts came (13 wins and 2 draws) then Erik Morales beat Pacquiao via unanimous decision on the succeeding bout (16th bout after loss to Singsurat). Then Pacquiao began his magical run up the weight class, again racking up 15 consecutive victories and guess what? on the 16th bout after the loss to Morales, Pacquiao lost to Bradley. Coincidence? You be the judge. Here?s another coincidence. This is the only Pacquiao fight since I began writing boxing articles (after the Morales loss) that I didn?t write anything about. Could I have been Pacquiao?s lucky charm? Okay, that?s already way beyond reason!
Now, let?s talk about a more pressing concern. Whether we admit it or not, Manny Pacquiao is starting to show signs of decline. The punching power is still there? but his speed, stamina and work-rate have seen better days. Pacquiao dominated Bradley majority of the bout. Yet, the guy he dominated dished out 88 more punches than he did. When was the last time an opponent threw more punches than Pacquiao did? Starting in the 10th round, a round when he usually starts to show his superiority in stamina and conditioning, Pacquiao rarely threw a punch. This is probably father time finally knocking on Pacquiao?s door. Trainer Freddie Roach?s time is also probably over. He could barely give Pacquiao clear instructions during the bout. But Pacquiao will most probably avenge his loss this November... Bradley will probably get knocked out in the middle rounds. But the clock is ticking and Father Time is undefeated. Savor it while it lasts.
Comments are highly appreciated. You can email them to reylanloberternos@yahoo.com.ph? Follow me on twitter reylan_l
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Reylan Loberternos.
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