Sunday, June 10, 2012

Pacquiao vs. Bradley - What the f*ck?

(Photo Credit;  Pacquiao vs. Bradley, MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.)
Posted: by T.F.M. Staff / Written: by N. Brooks. June 10, 2012.

After watching last night’s epic battle (Boxing) between Manny Pacquiao and Tim Bradley, I felt absolutely compelled to (in layman's terms) put something down on paper.  If you didn’t see the fight last night, here’s a recap.  Manny Pacquiao is regarded as the “Pound for Pound” greatest fighter in the world alongside the currently incarcerated flamboyant fighter Floyd “Money” Mayweather.  Tim Bradley was an undefeated fighter with a proven iron heart.  Leading up to the fight, Pacquiao didn’t seem to be taking this fight seriously or at the very least, as serious as most thought he should.  For example, Manny refused to come out of his locker room until the NBA Basketball Playoff Game 7 between the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat was over (Manny is a huge Celtics fan).  Manny Pacquiao literally looked as if he just showed up at the arena, had two individuals quickly throw his gloves on and headed to the ring.  On the other hand, Tim Bradley looked like a focussed man on a mission.  Let me cut to the chase, Manny Pacquiao got in that ring, seemingly as if he just got off the couch and put on a showcase on how great Boxing can be.  Manny Pacquiao dominated Tim Bradley last night, maybe not to the extent the commentators described, but Manny certainly dominated the majority of the fight.  Taking nothing away from Tim Bradley because he showcased exactly what a warrior is all about.  Bradley took everything Manny could dish out and kept coming forward.  It was a great fight.  I officially scored the fight 116 – 112 with Bradley only winning rounds 1, 2, 10, and 12.  Manny Pacquiao won that fight…  Well, in the eyes of everyone in the world that is, except 2 people.  Those 2 people would go on to rob Manny Pacquiao and Boxing fans worldwide.

Boxing used to be a great sport, it still is, but unfortunately money has a way of ruining everything.  I don’t know what fight those judges were watching last night, but it surely wasn’t the same fight I was watching.  I think the fight the judges were watching last night was the same fight Floyd Mayweather was watching from his jail cell.  For the record, Floyd Mayweather was unable to watch last night’s fight from jail.  Was the fight fixed?  Is Boxing crooked?  I am compelled to say yes.  What I found extremely strange is that Bradley’s corner seemed unexpectedly calm late in the fight, they were not adamantly preaching for Bradley to go for the knockout which was in most people’s opinion, the only way Bradley could win the fight.  Bradley’s corner almost seemed confident in victory no matter what the fight dictated.  Instead of preaching “you have to knockout Pacquiao in order to win,” Bradley’s corners demeanor was more “just don’t get knocked out and you win,” which I found very strange.  I am not insinuating Bradley was in on any type of fix, but I feel something shady was transpiring and I think the decision proves that.

In conclusion, Boxing fans cannot continue to be treated as ATM machines by Boxing promoters.  Boxing PPV numbers constantly are astronomical and at times double or triple that of the greatest sport on earth – Mixed Martial Arts.  Why?  Because Boxing fans remember the “great old days” and we keep tuning in, in hopes of seeing another Gatti vs. Ward trilogy.  Boxing promoters know this and keep exploiting us for our hard earned money.  Are we going to pay for the Pacquiao vs. Bradley rematch?  Yes.  Are we going to continue to beg for the greatest Boxing fight of all-time, Pacquiao vs. Mayweather?  Yes.  Can we clean up the sport of Boxing?  In the words of President Obama, yes we can.  As fans we must demand integrity in our sports.  I commend Manny Pacquiao for his talents.  I commend Tim Bradley for his effort and skill.  I commend Floyd Mayweather for being the best Boxer I have ever seen.  And I commend Boxing fans worldwide for never actually following through on their promises to finally give up on the sport of Boxing.  I personally will never give up on the sport out of respect for guys like Marvin Hagler, Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns, Gatti, Ward, Tyson, Ali, Foreman, Frazier, De La Hoya, Hopkins, and Jones.  I could name hundreds more.  Shame on whoever was responsible for last night’s debacle and let’s hurry up and get done whatever has to get done to get where we want to be and that’s…  Mayweather vs.  Pacquiao.  Period.