REVENGE OR REDEMPTION: PACQUIAO-BRADLEY FIGHT RESULTS
By Ed de la Vega, DDS
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 13 Apr 2014
Las Vegas, NV: The geniuses at Top Rank billed the fight between Filipino boxing icon, Manny Pacquiao and then undefeated champion from Cathedral City, CA, Tim Bradley as ?Revenge or Redemption.?
By golly, it was exactly like that!
Manny Pacquiao once again showed the ?fire in his belly? something that Tim Bradley continually claimed during the days leading to the fight as ?gone forever.?
Although Tim Bradley tasted the bitter pill of defeat for the first time in his career, the real loser here tonight was MGM.
It would not be far-fetched to say that they may lose the Top Rank business if they don?t do a drastic change in their business protocol.
MGM saw it fit to alienate Top Rank and his fighters by hanging signs all over MGM announcing a fight scheduled three weeks from now when they should be focusing on the Pacquiao-Bradley title fight.
In fact MGM did more than hang those signs. When I first walked into my room at the hotel I saw the MLife Magazine on the room desk. When I had time to peruse it, I found nothing about the Pacquiao-Bradley fight. Oh, there were articles about MMA and a large spread about the quintessential cherry picker Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Much to their credit, after Bob Arum lambasted the MGM folks the Pacquiao Bradley press conference for what they did, the signs miraculously changed to those of the Pacquiao-Bradley fight.
Indeed, what MGM did is a big slap on the faces of the folks at Top Rank and their fighter. It was an exemplary model of ?disrespect? that even the late Rodney Dangerfield would not imagine.
But I digress.
The Pacquiao-Bradley fight did not start with both fighters feeling each other out like most fights do. It was like round 13 of their first fight. Fireworks started almost immediately after the first bell rung.
First round was too close to call but it appears Pacquiao had a slight edge. Rounds 2 and 3 are however were clearly Pacquiao rounds. He landed more punches and they appeared to be mostly power punches. In round four, folks at in the arena thought that it would be the end of the fight as Pacquiao clearly stunned Bradley, but the champion recovered rather quickly. Then the pace slowed just a tad in rounds 5 and 6 but Pacquiao appeared to have won the rounds.
Pacquiao dominated Bradley the rest of the fight but he could not put him out. He looked for a knock out perhaps just to satisfy his people who wanted to see one.
But it did not come.
Even my wife who saw the fight but is not really well versed in the fight business noticed the change. ?He was not the same anymore? she said. ?I thought the power he displayed in the years past was no longer there,? she added.
I could not disagree with her.
But that does not mean that Pacquiao is finished. Far from that.
Pacquiao is still very good. His speed was still evident but perhaps he should start thinking of his future as a fighter.
One good fight with another legend like Juan Manuel Marquez then a relatively easy one as a farewell for his fans should be it.
Then on to the Philippine Senate.
Photo: Pacquiao (R) connects with a right straight to Bradley's midsection during their world title fight Saturday night in Las Vegas. Photo by Dr Ed de la Vega.
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