Despite losing a convincing decision to Manny Pacquiao Saturday night, Timothy Bradley Jr. added a most knowledgeable boxing observer to his fan club: Floyd Mayweather.
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“He used his experience against me, his ability and he won the fight tonight…”
A further left hook sent Bradley down for the second time leaving Pacquiao with a commanding lead heading into the final three rounds.
All three judges were in agreement: 116-110 for Pacquiao. “I fought really good tonight but I don’t know what was going on”, Bradley said. Bradley was winning the ninth round until he was dropped by a Pacquiao left cross to the head.
Pacquiao promised his fans an impressive performance.
Already a congressman in his native Philippines, Pacquiao is running for Senate in next month’s elections.
“This fight is not about politics”.
“We shall see”, Pacquiao said. He’s been saying he believes Pacquiao has more fights left in him. As of now I am retired. “He’s a little rusty, but if he wants to continue fighting I think he can still go”. “But I love my family, and I won’t hurt my family, my kids”. He was a little rusty. “This fight was different than the last two fights that we had because I’m aggressive this time and careful”, Pacquiao told HBO commentator Max Kellerman in the ring post fight. It’s hard to say because I’m not there yet.
But Pacquiao was sharp all night.
His pair of boxing trunks, once adorned with brand endorsements, were noticeably bare for the Bradley fight. He proved many critics wrong with his strong showing against the much improved Teddy Atlas trained version of Timothy Bradley, who had made many subtle adjustments to his game, correcting some of the minor flaws he has previously displayed, mainly pertaining to balance and positioning. “I wasn’t professional enough to stay patient myself and I walked into shots”. Referee Tony Weeks ruled it a knockdown.
Timothy Bradley falls to the mat after getting hit by Manny Pacquiao, of the Philippines, during their WBO welterweight title boxing bout Saturday, April 9, 2016, in Las Vegas. He landed enough of them to make Bradley wary, and the knockdown in the ninth round seemed to take the rest of the fight out of Bradley.
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He said it was kneeling in the corner before the fight to say a prayer, allowing everyone at MGM Grand Garden Arena and millions watching from around the world to get a glimpse of the words emblazoned on the back of his shirt. For a while, he had Pacquiao covering up against the ropes. Manny Pacquiao was strong.
