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Sunday 10 June 2012

Timothy Bradley defeats Manny Pacquiao



LAS VEGAS -- Timothy Bradley and Manny Pacquiao put on an outstanding show, but it was the judges who will be the big story for the next week or so.

Timothy Bradley celebrates his controversial win over Manny Pacquiao. (Getty Images)
Pacquiao landed 94 more punches than Bradley according to CompuBox, but it was not enough as the judges stunningly awarded a split-decision win to Bradley, who lifted the World Boxing Organization welterweight title from Pacquiao with the victory.
"I thought I won the fight," said Bradley, who said he hurt his ankle in the second round. "I didn't think he was as good as everybody says he is. I didn't feel a lot of his power."
It was an excellent back-and-forth bout, but Pacquiao seemed to control it by landing more, landing at a higher percentage and landing the harder punches.
Judges C.J. Ross and Duane Ford had it for Bradley, 115-113. Jerry Roth had it for Pacquiao, 115-113. Bradley won the final round on all three cards which pulled out the bout for him.Pacquiao had vowed to look impressive against Bradley after struggling in his last outing with Juan Manuel Marquez, a fight many thought he lost. And he did early, landing good long left hands while beating Bradley to the punch on most exchanges.

"He hurt me a couple of times with his left," Bradley said. "He's a beast."

Trainer Freddie Roach told Pacquiao after the 10th round that he had control of the fight, and urged him to fight hard the final two rounds.

"You have six minutes to go, son," Roach said. "It's your fight."

But it wasn't Pacquiao's fight, with Bradley getting credit for winning some of the close middle and later rounds. After the 11th round Bradley went back to his corner and trainer Joel Diaz told him he needed to win the final round.

"I listened to my corner," Bradley said. "I got to give him a rematch now."

Arum said there will be one on Nov. 10, though he thought Pacquiao won easily, as did most writers at ringside.

"I'll make a lot of money off the rematch, but this was outrageous," Arum said.

It was the biggest fight of Bradley's career and it came with a minimum $5 million payday. The rematch will be even richer, though Pacquiao's loss could damage any plans for a fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Mayweather did not see the fight because he is serving a sentence on a domestic abuse charge at a jail a few miles from the MGM Grand.

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