Much to everyone’s surprise, Timothy Bradley wins over Manny Pacquiao by split decision. This was really a stunning surprise, sending shock waves from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas out to the rest of the world.
From this match, Bradley has improved his records to 29-0 and snatched the WBO welterweight title from Manny Pacquiao (54-4-2). Two judges gave a score of 115-113 for Bradley, and the other was 115-113 for Pacquiao.
After an impressive 15 successive wins (from March 2005), Pacquiao has finally faced defeat. But Bradley’s win was criticized, more so that he had to leave the arena in a wheel chair and that Pacquiao exited with grace riding the limousine. Boxing experts, enthusiasts, and even plain audience were disappointed with the results. For them, it was clear the Pacquiao had won. For their score cards, Pacquiao had bested eight or nine rounds while only three or four for Bradley, mostly on the last remaining rounds of the fight. Here are some of the feedbacks I found around the web:
“Two judges scored the fight 115-113 for Bradley, who appeared to be trailing all night. The third judge gave Pacquiao a 115-113 edge. The results were loudly jeered by a near-capacity crowd in the arena, many of whom stood stunned at their seats.” – Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times
“It's a shocking result and one that makes very little sense given Manny's status as the "money fighter" in the bout. Normally the robberies go to the guy whose win brings in more money for the promoters, but that wasn't what happened tonight. Manny Pacquiao is a worldwide star, while Bradley is a lighter hitting, mostly unknown fighter who isn't really even a welterweight.” – Brent Brookhouse, SB Nation
“But Pacquiao's relentless left hand was finding its mark far too often. And when he unleashed with flurries, Bradley's discomfort was palpable, his pain visible. He spun his head every which way to avoid Pacquiao's onslaught but the Filipino fighting machine was a sniper at close range, every shot seemingly hitting its target point with power like Bradley had never felt before.” – Geno Mrosko, MMA Mania
“The sad thing is that the Pacquiao vs. Bradley results are not even the most controversial of the year thus far. There are at least two other fights - Brandon Rios vs. Richard Abril and Tavoris Cloud vs. Gabriel Campillo - which produced even worse verdicts than this. But that just goes to show you how bad things have gotten in boxing these days.” – Jake Emen, YahooSports
“Jeremy Lin, the New York Knicks guard, called the decision “disappointing.” The singer Miley Cyrus echoed her father’s advice with this tweet: “When you knock em out, you don’t need no judge!” Khloé Kardashian Odom said of the outcome, “This is crazy!”” – Mark McDonald, The Herald Tribune
For you, was Pacquiao cheated on this fight? Does Bradley deserve the belt?
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