Manny Pacquiao beat Timothy Bradley in a unanimous decision on Saturday in a 12-round, welterweight bout in Las Vegas the decisive third matchup between the two fighters.
Pacquiao-Bradley: Round 12 recap
Teddy Atlas wants Bradley to go for broke, and, well, it’s about all Bradley can do now. Bradley strays low early in the round, not a big foul. Bradley lands a right hand, then a little hook, sort of lunging in to get it. Pacquiao not taking chances in the 12th. The fight’s in the bag, most likely. Of course he thought that in 2012. Who knows? Boxing.
Pacquiao is not on his bike, but just boxing cautiously this round. With a minute left and the crowd getting louder, he does get a little jittery, and gives the impression he might take some shots, but he doesn’t.
Read Article >Pacquiao-Bradley: Round 11 recap
Trainer Teddy Atlas asking Tim Bradley for six minutes of his best. Bradley’s wife and manager, Monica, has left her ringside seat. Right now, Manny Pacquiao is in firm control.
Commentary is right, that Bradley has fought fairly well, but Pacquiao is just a guy who has his number. Also Manny Pacquiao is a great fighter. Apparently Tim’s wife came back. This is important information.
Read Article >Pacquiao-Bradley: Round 10 recap
We’re at a kind of make-or-break fight for Timothy Bradley right now. He’s done okay, but the two knockdowns hurt significantly. What might otherwise be a two- or three-point fight is now a four or five-point fight, and that likely means that Bradley, not a puncher, needs something really sensational.
Pacquiao with a body shot early in the 10th round. Bradley shuffling on the outside, trying to make something happen, but Pacquiao avoiding the shots again. Pacquiao seems firmly in control once again, but the last time we thought that, he got hurt in the eighth round.
Read Article >Pacquiao-Bradley: Round 9 recap
We’ve got a very interesting fight the last couple of rounds, with Manny Pacquiao dropping Timothy Bradley late in the seventh and Bradley hurting Pacquiao clearly in the eighth.
Tentative first minute again here in the ninth, but Bradley makes a little rush and gets some shots in. Bradley is looking physically stronger right now, which was not the case earlier. Pacquiao is looking for shots, but Bradley avoids them pretty easily by moving side to side.
Read Article >Pacquiao-Bradley: Round 8 recap
The late-round right hook knockdown in the seventh round could be a big shift in this fight. Tim Bradley does not look happy with his own performance, and frankly is looking a little outclassed again. Bradley’s a good fighter. Manny Pacquiao, to this point, is better -- again.
Bradley’s wheels are still turning, but he’s not landing much. Just as I say that, he does time a good right hand. Pacquiao has quick counter shots when Bradley comes up short on a right. Good right and a left hook from Bradley. Manny Pacquiao is hurt and covering up! Bradley storming hard! Pacquiao tying up!
Read Article >Pacquiao-Bradley: Round 6 recap
Both guys got going in the fifth round, with Manny Pacquiao getting the better of things in the exchanges late, and perhaps stealing the round. Tim Bradley’s trainer Teddy Atlas now very animated in the corner, Freddie Roach calm as usual in the Pacquiao corner.
Pacquiao again throwing punches in bunches in the second minute of this round, after another tactical start to the frame. Manny’s looking a little more like his old self the last couple rounds. Not the 2009 Pacquiao or the 2003 Pacquiao or anything, but a little more intense than we saw him early in this fight.
Read Article >Pacquiao-Bradley: Round 2 recap
Neither guy really got going in the first round, pretty much even in the opening frame. We’ll see if anything bigger happens in the next three minutes.
Bradley lands a decent left hook early in the round. Pacquiao shoots his straight left, again glancingly lands at best. Manny stalking somewhat, but not showing the fire of old, which at this point should not be expected, to be fair. Bradley with a little pot shot as the two tie up in close.
Read Article >Narrowing odds see Pacquiao as slight favorite
For most of his fights in the last seven years, Manny Pacquiao has been a big favorite; many times, an overwhelming favorite. Fights were clearly seen as being in his favor simply because he was so good, and so far ahead of the pack -- or at least the pack that he was fighting.
But it’s 2016 now. Manny Pacquiao is 37 years old. He lost his last fight. He’s 3-3 in his last six, even if one of those losses (to the man he faces Saturday, in fact) was so controversial and so widely considered a robbery that few really count it against him. Pacquiao also hasn’t fought in 11 months, and he’s coming off of shoulder surgery. And -- and! -- he’s seen as having one foot out the door, which for a boxer can be a massive difference-maker.
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