Filipino professional boxer Manny Paquiao says he has retired from professional boxing after knocking down Timothy Bradley twice on his way to a unanimous 12-round decision in their welterweight showdown.
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Pacquiao looked fluid in the victory and could still hold his own in the ring for a few more years, but for now, he has hung up his gloves and called time on a glittering career. Ive made a commitment to my family that Im going to retire after this.
Bradley gave a strong effort, but as in the first two fights, he couldn’t find the key to getting to Pacquiao enough to hurt him. But in the middle of a flurry in the ninth, Pacquiao landed a blistering left that sent Bradley somersaulting backward toward the ropes.
Manny Pacquiao defeated Timothy Bradley again. His style is to counter punch.
His spectacular win against Timothy Bradley might provide a great boost for his chances of becoming a senator in the Philippines. “I’m in there with a special man, Manny Pacquiao”.
If this was the finale of Manny Pacquiao’s legendary career, he went out on top, if not in style.
The punches did not come in bunches in this affair.
It’s never that cut and dried in the high-stakes world of boxing, where Pacquiao’s 22 pay-per-view fights have generated .2 billion in PPV revenue. On Saturday, the two men combined for 741.
Compubox (punch stats) showed Pacquiao landing 122 o 439 blows.
Both fighters took some time to get untracked, with the early rounds offering little action. He’s reached a point in his stellar career where if it’s not Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather or maybe Canelo Alvarez, would it really be worth it?
Pacquiao began picking up the pace and stalking Bradley, though, coming in behind a right jab and following it with his left hand.
A tired Bradley returned to his corner to be admonished by his trainer Teddy Atlas, who yelled “Are you kidding me?” at the 32-year-old as he attempted to raise his fighter for the later rounds. He came in off an impressive stoppage of Brandon Rios in November.
From there Pacquiao wrested back control, highlighted by a right uppercut that dropped Bradley in the ninth.
“Manny was very strong and very patient”, Bradley said.
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Officially, as we know, Pacquiao won by three commanding scores of 116-110, yet “Money” is said to have scored the fight even. He is now running for a seat in the country’s senate, capitalizing on his popularity throughout the Philippines.
