Immediately following Manny Pacquiao’s massively controversial loss to Timothy Bradley in his last fight many assumed that the only possible fight for Manny was a rematch to “get the win back.” But that wasn’t to be, in large part because Bradley doesn’t equal dollars, and instead we’re seeing Pacquiao back in the ring with long-time rival Juan Manuel Marquez.
Pacquiao vs Marquez: Manny explains not pursuing rematch with Timothy Bradley following loss
Manny Pacquiao says his bout with Timothy Bradley had no action because Bradley “ran” from him. Pacquiao also feels that he clearly won the Bradley fight and, as such, no rematch was needed.
Kevork Djansezian
The decision to forego the Bradley rematch is something Pacquiao covered in this blog provided by HBO:
”I was really looking forward to fighting Tim Bradley. He had earned the shot at my title having been undefeated and unifying the junior welterweight titles twice. He always came to fight in shape and he always fought aggressively. I thought the fans would enjoy our fight.
”But after the early rounds where I was connecting on a lot of my punches Bradley did what Joshua Clottey, Shane Mosley and even Juan Manuel Márquez did when they fought me. He ran.
”It was very disappointing. If I didn’t go after Bradley there would be no action -- no fight. That’s no good for the fans.
”I felt I won the fight easily. I controlled all of it. And when the final bell rang I could see the frustration in his face. He knew he lost. You could tell by his body language. But when I heard the scores I was completely surprised but what could I do? The judges saw it differently and I accept their decision. Officially it counts as a loss and I am no longer a world champion, and yet it has never felt like a loss to me. It is hard to describe.
”That is why I decided not to seek a rematch with Bradley. Everyone knew I won that fight. It was one sided. The fans did not want to see that fight again and what would it prove?
”But it did remind me of what boxing is all about; finishing what you start. It’s not always good enough to win. You have to win going all out for all 12 rounds. You have to go for the knockout when it presents itself. As Freddie Roach has always told me, ‘When your opponent is ready to be knocked out, knock him out. It’s your job.’
And that is how I have trained for Márquez. To do my job.
You can follow all of our Pacquiao vs. Marquez 4 fight week coverage right here, or you can follow the tremendous SB Nation boxing blog Bad Left Hook for their in depth coverage.
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