In what might have been his last fight (or not), Manny Pacquiao proved he is still a formidable welterweight by easily outpointing a determined ? but befuddled ? Timothy Bradley over 12 rounds at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
He?s not what he once was ? but he?s still pretty damn good.
Good enough at this stage that, even at age 37 and coming off left rotator cuff surgery in the wake of his loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr. last year, this Pacquiao was lauded was the best version Bradley had faced.
Armed with new trainer Teddy Atlas, Bradley simply had no answers for Pacquiao. On this night, there would be no fires being put out by this duo, who found that solving the ?Pac-Man? equation was akin to trigonometry in contrast to the basis arithmetic of Brandon Rios. For much of the fight, Bradley tried to set traps for Pacquiao, who was still too quick and fleet of foot for the ?Desert Storm,? who could never really get a bead on the Filipino star?s rhythm.
Pacquiao is no longer the overwhelming physical force he was during his prime, in which he blazed up weight classes with such ease, that rumors of PED usage became a central storyline to his career a few years back. It?s been 11 fights, encompassing over six years since he scored a stoppage victory (which came against Miguel Cotto in Nov. of 2009). Against Bradley, this past weekend, it wasn?t so much his punching that posed problems but his footwork. Throughout the fight, he was able to dart in and out of range with such nimbleness and speed, that Bradley was oftentimes reduced to swinging at air or being hit with quick punches that he didn?t see coming. Pacquiao is still capable of giving some of the most unusual angles this sport has ever seen.
When it was all over, the announced crowd of 14,665 had no doubt who should have their hands raised in victory. And unlike their first encounter in 2012, this trio of judges (Dave Moretti, Burt Clements and Steve Weisfeld) got it right and were in unison with their identical scores at 116-110 for Pacquiao.
The big question after the fight was: Is this really IT for Pacquiao as a professional prizefighter? Well, the general consensus from the insiders is he will indeed return to the ring. Pacquiao, a politician in his spare time in the Philippines (or is he a boxer in his spare time?) has waffled on his retirement promises and, at the post-fight presser, said he was ?50/50? on whether he would fight again, citing the concerns of his family, who are pushing for him to call it quits.
So is this really the end? Only one person truly knows and he could change his mind soon after the latest elections in his home country.
But, by chance it is, this would be a great way to go out.
