On Saturday, Timothy Bradley (29-0) defeated an aging Manny Pacquiao (54-4-2) by majority split decision to become the new WBO welterweight champion. Two ringside judges scored the bout 115-113 in favor of the 28-year-old California native, while one judge had it 115-113 for the Filipino congressman, and now former pound-for-pound king.
Early in the bout, Timothy Bradley suffered flush shots courtesy of combinations from the legendary Pacquiao, 33, and appeared stunned from several exchanges. He would safely move away to minimize the damage and set up counters of his own. View slideshow: Bradley defeats Pacquiao
Since the opening bell of the first round, it became apparent that Bradley’s corner had prepared him to pursue a counter-punching strategy similar to Juan Manuel Marquez’s fight plan. It successfully stole the momentum away from the aggressive Filipino.
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Throughout the fight, Bradley also kept turning Pacquiao to his right side – in effect moving away from the Filipino’s devastating left hand. This movement created multiple opportunities for the “Desert Storm” to land right hands on the charging Pacquiao. Clinching often resulted when the two fought inside which disrupted the Pacman’s rhythm.
Team Bradley’s plan worked, especially after the middle rounds when Bradley constantly turned, countered, blocked, and often stepped away from the forward-lunging Pacquiao. Additionally, the new WBO welterweight champion maintained discipline by following his team’s fight plan for 12 rounds even after losing some stamina in the latter rounds.
Motivation
In our prediction article, we believed that Tim Bradley held the mental and motivational advantage heading into a fight against a fading ring legend in Manny Pacquiao. Here is an excerpt:
Timothy Bradley (28-0) is close to a 5-1 underdog to the great Manny Pacquiao (54-3-2), but those odds belie the junior welterweight champ’s resolute determination to pull off an upset. The 28-year-old native of Palm Springs, California can turn the boxing world upside down.
On Saturday, the Filipino confirmed that his best days in the ring are behind him. In our prediction for this bout, we added:
On June 9, a physically declining Pacquiao – buoyed by a resurgence in his Christian faith – will be a better human being and purer soul, furthering his desire to inspire people through spiritual revelation. Yet, his evangelising qualities are attributes largely championed within the confines of ministry, charity, and Thanksgiving dinners.
. . . the Filipino hero, elected legislator and soldier of God will face an old demon in Tim Bradley. The latter is a hungry lion who’ll bring out the past, bad ways that a “resurrected” Manny Pacquiao now seems to reject.
For this reason, the undefeated Bradley holds a mental and motivational advantage over the all-time great, but aging, fighter. Pacquiao seems to resemble a mid-30s Muhammad Ali going through the motions without displaying the pugilistic ferociousness from his youth. To win, Pacquiao cannot suffer from pugilistic amnesia against a swarming pit bull.
Spiritual awakenings are commendable outside of the ring. Faith in one’s creator helps a person in life. However, the nature of war and combat sports require qualities from a man that include ruthlessness, unyielding resolve, and a do-or-die attitude – traits which a fiery Bradley all possessed heading into this fight.
The Filipino was calm, comfortable, complacent, and no longer hungry.
What Manny Pacquiao has achieved in the ring is beyond compare: eight titles in as many weight divisions; crossover status; and heroic folklore. What got him there was exactly what Timothy Bradley had in the ring on Saturday.
Copyright 2012 Marv Dumon. This material may not be published, rewritten or redistributed. All rights reserved.
