Pacquiao beats Bradley by decision in rematch

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LAS VEGAS (AP) — Nearly two years later, Manny Pacquiao
finally got the decision most people thought he deserved the first time
against Timothy Bradley.
Pacquiao won a unanimous decision in his
rematch with Bradley on Saturday night, avenging his 2012 loss and
claiming the WBO welterweight title.
Pacquiao (56-5-2) pursued and
peppered the previously unbeaten Bradley around the MGM Grand Garden
ring with an aggressive effort occasionally recalling the Pacman in his
prime. Bradley fought back with counterpunching and elusiveness, but
Pacquiao kept up his attack while Bradley (31-1) struggled down the
stretch.
In the same arena where the fighters met for their first
bout, Pacquiao left little doubt about the result — although that’s what
he thought last time, too. Bradley’s split-decision victory astonished
most ringside observers, who felt Pacquiao had earned a clear decision.
"I knew I had to do more in this fight than I did in the last fight," Pacquiao said.
Judges
Craig Metcalfe and Michael Pernick scored the rematch 116-112 for
Pacquiao, while Glenn Trowbridge favored the Filipino congressman
118-110. The Associated Press scored it 116-112 for Pacquiao.
After
the fight, Bradley said he injured his right calf early on. But he also
applauded the decision when it was announced, and he congratulated
Pacquiao in the ring.
"I tried, I really tried," Bradley said. "I
wanted that knockout. Manny is a great fighter, one of the best in the
world. I lost to one of the greatest fighters in boxing. I kept trying
to throw something over the top. That’s what we worked on in camp. That
was the plan, but Pacquiao has great footwork."
Pacquiao landed 35
percent of his 563 punches, while Bradley connected with just 22
percent of his 627 blow. Pacquiao’s jab was much more effective, landing
23 percent to Bradley’s measly 11 percent, and the Pacman had a slight
edge in landing 148 power punches to Bradley’s 109.
Pacquiao’s
performance righted one of the biggest perceived wrongs in recent boxing
history. Pacquiao was an eight-division world champion on 15-fight
winning streak when Bradley was awarded a split decision in their last
bout.
Pacquiao was more aggressive and accurate from the opening
minutes of the rematch, sticking to trainer Freddie Roach’s pleas to
take the action to Bradley. They exchanged big shots in the opening
rounds, but Pacquiao appeared to wear out Bradley with the heavy early
pace — and the Pacman never slowed down.
"I didn’t want to get
careless," Pacquiao said. "I picked up more steam in the second half
when I made adjustments that Freddie gave me in the corner. Bradley was
much better than in the first fight we had. He hurt me on the chin."
Although
Pacquiao couldn’t knock down Bradley, he answered the questions raised
by Bradley about his killer instinct with a consistent attack all night.
Bradley couldn’t match that consistent aggression with counterpunching,
apparently trying and failing to catch Pacquiao out of position.
"It looked to me like Bradley was just going for a one-punch home run," Roach said.
The
arena was crackling with energy when both fighters made their ring
walks, with Pacquiao in the unusual position of going first as the
challenger.
Pacquiao landed a series of big left hands in the
early rounds, knocking back Bradley with gusto. Bradley responded
impressively in the fourth round, wobbling Pacquiao twice with a right
hand.
The pace slowed in the fifth, with Bradley showing off his
defense and movement while Pacquiao attempted to trap him against the
ropes.
Pacquiao appeared to stagger Bradley late in the seventh
round with a vicious combination, but Bradley stood with his back
against the ropes and defiantly encouraged it, blocking most of the
shots. Bradley appeared to pretend to have wobbly legs at one point
after a Pacquiao miss, but his open mouth betrayed his weariness while
Pacquiao steadily racked up rounds midway through the fight.
Bradley
came on strong in the 12th, and the fighters’ heads collided late in
the round. Pacquiao avoided any trouble until the final bell, when he
did a short dance step to his corner.
While Bradley remains
publicly confident he beat Pacquiao in their first bout despite fighting
on two injured feet, that much-derided decision sent both fighters’
careers on wild spirals.
The two judges who scored the bout
115-113 for Bradley are no longer in the boxing business, but their
decision ended Pacquiao’s 15-fight win streak and forced Bradley to
defend himself against widespread criticism of the result.
Bradley
endured death threats and depression before returning to the ring in
unusually reckless style. He brawled with Ruslan Provodnikov in March
2013 in a sensational unanimous-decision victory that silenced critics
of his style and heart. Bradley then outpointed veteran Mexican champion
Juan Manuel Marquez last fall, polishing his skills and making himself
attractive to Pacquiao for a rematch.
Pacquiao was knocked
unconscious by Marquez in the sixth round of their fourth fight in late
2012, and he took nearly a year off before returning for a workmanlike
victory over Brandon Rios last fall. Pacquiao’s last two performances
prompted Bradley to declare Pacquiao had lost his killer instinct,
noting he was unable or unwilling to stop any of his opponents since
late 2009.
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