Manny Pacquiao registered two knockdowns in beating Tim Bradley.Isaac Brekken/Associated PressManny Pacquiao entered the ring Saturday night saying his fight with Tim Bradley would be the last of his career.
Pacquiao did not look like he was ready to leave the ring as he piled up points and won a unanimous decision over Bradley at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas.
Pacquiao knocked down Bradley twice and looked like he was ready to finish his opponent on several occasions throughout the bout.
Pacquiao (58-6-2, 38 KOs) was exceptionally aggressive, and the win gave him a 2-1 advantage in his fight trilogy with Bradley (33-2-1, 13 KOs). Pacquiao appeared to have had the advantage in each of the fights, but a controversial decision went against him in the first fight in the series.
The Filipino superstar had not fought since dropping a unanimous decision to Floyd Mayweather last May. In that fight, Mayweather's defense kept Pacquiao from launching a consistent offensive at any point in the bout. Pacquiao also claimed to have injured his right shoulder, and that was one of the reasons he gave for not putting on a better show against the undefeated Mayweather.
Bradley appeared to be surprised by Pacquiao's power.John Locher/Associated PressThat was not the case against Bradley, as Pacquiao was more aggressive than he had been in any recent fights.
"I was looking for a knockout in every round," Pacquiao told ESPN boxing analyst Dan Rafael. "He's a very tough fighter and a very good counter-puncher. Bradley is a good boxer, a great fighter and a good man. It was not easy tonight, [but] my right shoulder was fine. It gave me no problems."
Pacquiao registered his first knockdown in the seventh round. After a slow start, Pacquiao picked up the pace in the fourth round and he began stalking Bradley at that point and hitting him with decisive punches. In the seventh, he landed two consecutive punches that sent Bradley to the canvas.
While those shots were not particularly hard, they clearly befuddled Bradley.
The second knockdown came in the ninth round as a result of a huge left hand that sent Bradley to the canvas in an explosive manner.
Bradley continued to fight hard despite the two knockdowns, and he hit Pacquiao with several hard punches. However, Pacquiao did more damage, and his overall quickness and relentlessness paid off as he piled up points.
Bradley had no issues with the decision, and he paid his respect to Pacquiao for his performance.
"Manny was very strong in there. Very heavy punches. He was also very patient," said Bradley. "I wasn't professional enough to stay patient myself, and I walked into shots."
Pacquiao confirmed his decision to retire from the sport after the fight. ‘‘As of now I am retired,’’ Pacquiao said. ‘‘I am going to go home and think about it, but I want to be with my family. I want to serve the people.’’
Trainer Freddie Roach saw no slippage from Pacquiao in his victory over Bradley.Frank Franklin II/Associated PressThe "as of now" portion of the statement appears to leave plenty of wiggle room for Pacquiao. Trainer Freddie Roach has said that he would tell Pac-Man to retire if he didn't think he could compete in the ring against upper-echelon boxers any longer, but the trainer did not see that kind of slippage from his fighter.
“I love the way Manny threw his combos,” Roach said after the fight, per Bob Velin of USA Today. “He’s a little rusty, but if he wants to continue fighting I think he can still go. Manny’s left (hand) trumps all.”
Pacquiao had a small but significant advantage in several of the key boxing stats. His volume punching gave him an edge in the number of punches thrown by a 439-302 margin, and he also had key edges in jabs thrown and jabs connected.
INQUIRER Sports @INQUIRERSportsFinal Compubox Stats for #PacBradley 3. https://t.co/1Uj2EFnP8M https://t.co/VUizA0IPVE
While the power punches thrown and connected were relatively close, Pacquiao's hard punches appeared to do more damage than Bradley's.
Bradley's trainer, Teddy Atlas, was seen getting emotional between rounds. He tried to roust Bradley and challenge him to be more effective between the seventh and eight rounds and later told his charge how proud he was of him.
After the fight, Atlas put the blame for the Bradley defeat on himself. "I don't think the first knockdown was a real knockdown, but Pacquiao did a great job in there," said Atlas, per Rafael. "Give Pacquiao credit. I didn't do enough of a job for Bradley."
Pacquiao says he is retired, but it is difficult for most boxers to stick with their retirement decisions. It could be even harder for Pacquiao, because he is coming off such a signature performance.
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