Ringside by Chris Cozzone
You could make a case that the third man in the ring with Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley, Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, was referee Kenny Bayless. It was obvious, I mean, he was right there, the man in blue, doing such a good job you hardlynoticed he was there.
But you could also make the case that Juan Manual Marquez, recently defeated by one, after having knocked out cold, the other, was also present.
Standing tall and unseen would be a fifth shadow, that of Floyd Mayweather, untoppled from his hill and less-than-gently reminding the 15,601 in attendance – not to mention the promoter – just whose house they were brawling in, whose city, and whose sport.
For 12 thrilling rounds, however, we might've forgotten all that – the unforgotten fight, the unbegotten showdown, the failure to negotiate – to sit back and enjoy a rare thriller between two of the second, perhaps third, best fighters in the world at welterweight, perhaps at any weight.
At stake was Bradley's WBO slice of the pie, which was formerly Pacquiao's, one (perhaps not so) clean record, a chance at retribution and the possibility that this could be it, for one or the other.
But it wasn't.
Evening the score and proving that almost anything can happen in Vegas – even justice – Pacquiao wiped clean, at least in theory, the 2012 controversial split decision loss to Bradley, by soundly, maybe not easily, winning the rematch.
The return bout topped an HBO pay-per-view, near-starless telecast promoted by Top Rank. This time around, same place, two years later, a brawl ensued. It was will over wit and clarity over controversy.
Clearly the house favorite, Pacquiao edged the opening rounds, showing superior speed and firing lefts at Bradley, who was caught somewhere between staggered and off-balance.
Digging into the trenches, Bradley sought to fire back in the third and fourth frames, briefly elevating a host of square-offs, from good to great. Swinging his right hand of a Louisville slugger and aiming for the fences, Bradley managed to dodge Pacquiao's nastiest lefts while finding a frightful home for his chief weapon. Right hand after right crashed into a staggered Pacquiao in the fourth, balancing the fight.
Both fighters had their moments in the fifth. Pacquiao picked his shots, brushing away any cobwebs but also misfiring a fair number of missiles. Bradley shook his head, as if to say, "No, you didn't get me – c'mon, bring it on."
Pacquiao did. In the sixth, Bradley danced away, waiting for openings with his home run punch. Both missed, but looking suddenly weary, Bradley let Pacquiao edge forward on the cards yet again.
In the seventh, it was Pacman dancing out of range. Bradley resumed the brawl, swinging downstairs, swinging up, bobbing and weaving out of harm's way and swarming Pacquiao late in the round. He remained on the warpath through the eighth, but the fight faded, just enough for the crowd to boo.
By the ninth, however, Bradley's finest moments had already been seen. Still looking fresh, Pacquiao took over the remaining rounds. Bradley stumbled twice, perhaps from a tangle of legs, while Pacquiao swarmed. One round later, Pacquiao hammered Bradley with his sizzling left, again harrying at the close.
Looking more like the beast that, once upon a time, battered Barrera and Morales and a host of others to submission, Pacquiao came at Bradley, who sought only a safe defense, at least in the 11th. In the final round, Bradley, stunned at least once, gathered what he had left and, a la Bradley-Provodnikov, gave a last-ditch effort. With just ten seconds left in the fight, a clash of heads had ref Bayless halting the action to give the ringside doc a look-see into a gash over Pac's right eye. The fight resumed, Pacquiao and Bradley brawled for the final moments and, when the bell clanged, both raised their arms for victory.
Unlike the first fight that resulted in a questionable split decision for the "wrong guy," this time around, the judges were not only in agreement, but actually had totaled it for the right man. Judges Craig Metcalf and Michael Pernick scored it 116-112 and Glenn Trowbridge, 118-110, all for Pacquiao. Fightnews.com was in agreement, scoring it 116-112.
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