LAS VEGAS ? Looking dapper in a long-sleeve shirt moments after being surprisingly beaten by Tim Bradley late Saturday night, Manny Pacquiao said he was so certain of victory that he didn?t bother to hear what the ring announcer was saying which turned out to be a split decision win for his foe.
?I didn?t listen with the announcement because I thought I won the fight,? said Pacquiao, who dropped a 12-round split decision at the MGM Grand.
Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum went ballistic after hearing that Bradley had won.
?I know I am going to make a lot of money in the rematch but this (decision) is nuts. The judges don?t even know what they?re watching anymore,? Arum told writers at ringside.
Arum later described the three judges ? CJ Ross, Duane Ford and Jerry Roth ? as ?the three blind mice.?
?This is a fight that people scored it 11-1, 10-2 and you hear scores tonight and it?s unfathomable. You look at the punch stats and there was no way I can explain it and I have been in places where hometown decisions are outrageous. But this is different.?
There was still lot of venom that came out Arum?s mouth when he faced the media during the post-game chat.
?These people don?t know what to score. Two judges were judging fights when I came to Las Vegas (in 1966).?
?These people, all three of them, including the guy who scored for Pacquiao. What were they looking at??
Arum said that while he was disgusted with the verdict he still commended Bradley for his gallant showing.
?I want to congratulate Tim Bradley for the decision but I have never felt so ashamed for the sport of boxing than tonight.?
Talk about a rematch was in the air as soon as ring barker Michael Buffer issued the announcement before a stunned crowd and Pacquiao vowed to exact payback in their second meeting that is being penciled for Nov. 10 probably at the same venue.
?This (defeat) will make me become a warrior in the rematch. In the rematch, I will not finish the whole 12 rounds.?
Still, Pacquiao didn?t lash at the judges like what his promoter did the moment the decision was made public. ?I respect the decision, but 100 percent I believe I won the fight,? said the 33-year-old Filipino icon, whose 15-fight winning streak stretching back to seven years was snapped.
