No matter how much he believed he?d won, his own vision of the fight, his first-hand vision, was tarnished by the hailstorm of boos. Doubt set in?
The outcry after the Timothy Bradley/Manny Pacquiao fight was not only loud. It lasted a long time, far longer than most boxing controversies. That?s because Pac Man, even before his retirement, is being lauded as one of the all-time greats. In fact, if you re-watch the twelfth and final round of Bradley/Pacquiao 1, the HBO crew is chattering about Manny?s legendary status even as Bradley, always busy, is winning the round. Boxing?s legitimacy has been tarnished by too many unjust decisions. And, sadly, the clamor against these poor decisions lasts about as long as the time it takes for the ring announcer to read the scores and BoxRec to put the result on its ledger. Not so for Bradley/Pacquiao 1. The outcry continues to resonate and, frankly, I?m not sure why.
I recognize my opinion is going to get hammered here. But that?s fine. When I watched the Bradley/ Pacquiao fight on pay-per-view, I was tallying the rounds in my head, and when the fight was done, I felt Bradley had boxed himself to a draw. So when the outcry started, precipitated perhaps by Harold Lederman?s dramatic 119-109 scorecard for all the world to see, I was surprised. If anything, this was a close fight and not a complete shutout. I usually agree with Lederman?s round-by-round assessments. I usually admire Max Kellerman?s knowledge about boxing and his impassioned, honest insights. And Jim Lampley, over the years, has proved himself to be not just a fine blow-by-blow commentator but a true fan of the sport?he has come of age as an aficionado over his many years at HBO. The HBO team deserves credit for at least taking a stance, even if, I believe, their stance was misguided for this fight. (I?ll take the HBO team over the Showtime team any day. On Showtime, only Paulie Malignaggi?s heated voice rings true. The remainders of Showtime?s triumvirate are yes-men who homogenize the most blatant controversies and seem content with accepting the easy, dismissive clich? that boxing is boxing, that injustice is part of the game.)
Recently, I watched the Bradley/Pacquiao fight again, hoping my eyes would stay objective even if I believed what I?d seen originally was true?that Bradley may not have won the fight, but that he didn?t lose. On second-viewing, I?m convinced the judges got it right. The fact that all three judges had a two-point differential in this bout begins to chip away at Lederman?s lopsided scorecard and at HBO?s constant commentary (and it was constant) that Pac Man was snuffing out Desert Storm.
This is what I saw:
Round 1 was very close, but I gave it to Bradley because he worked for two and a half minutes of the round while Pacquiao rallied during the last thirty seconds. Manny?s shots were more impressive, but not so impressive to nullify Bradley?s work rate. Round 2 was, again, very close, and, again, a strong case could be made that Bradley?s flurries and three-punch combinations trumped Pac Man?s heavier shots. Pacquiao took the next two rounds, rounds 3 and 4. And then, in the four middle rounds of the fight, rounds 5 through 8, a pattern emerged. Bradley circled to the left and boxed, throwing punches, and catching most of Manny?s shots. Whoever was keeping punch stats for HBO that night was blind?blinded by Manny?s reputation, blinded by Lederman?s visible scorecard, blinded by the HBO crew?s constant assertions that Manny was fighting beautifully. The truth is, the majority of Manny?s heavy shots were landing on Bradley?s gloves and forearms and should not have been counted as scoring blows. I gave the edge to Bradley in these middle rounds. He was the dominant fighter in the first two minutes of each middle round. He landed punches in bunches. His foot-movement showed ring generalship. And if blood counts for something in this brutal sport, Manny was bleeding from his mouth. There was no urgency in Manny?s demeanor during any of these rounds. And his corner was surprisingly complacent as if they were privy to HBO?s soundtrack, buying the Kool-Aid that this was indeed a shutout.
Manny was more in tune with the fight?s truth?he was the one not throwing enough punches; he was the one getting hit and bloodied?and in the ninth, urgency finally set it. Manny suddenly became physical, roughing Bradley up the way losing fighters often try to rough-up their opponents Listen to his interviews today, as the hype for Bradley/Pacquiao 2 heats up, and you?ll hear Pacquiao say, over and over, how he should have been meaner, should have fought harder. Manny Pacquiao fought mean and hard in Round 9. He did not take time off. He imposed his will on Bradley. And he won the round. But in Round 10, Manny took his foot off the gas and even Harold Lederman conceded that Bradley won the round (the first and last on Lederman?s scorecard).
Between the tenth and eleventh, Manny?s corner sounded worried. Roach admonished his charge to let his hands go. In Bradley?s corner, trainer Joel Diaz clearly believed his man was winning??You?re a warrior,? he said, as a matter of motivation and a matter of fact. A warrior wins not necessarily by pure force, but by tactics, by craft. Unfortunately, Bradley was not getting any credit for his boxing acumen during the HBO chatter, but he was boxing well, moving and hitting and defending himself. The see-saw swung back to Manny in Round 11. Urged on by Roach?s urgency (why would Roach sound so urgent before the eleventh round if the fight were a shutout? Shouldn?t a veteran trainer tell his fighter to put defense ahead of offense when victory seems imminent?), Pac Man started Round 11 busy instead of waiting for the last sixty seconds to attack. The eleventh was easy to score: 10-9 for Pacquiao. And then came the twelfth, during which the commentators praised Manny?s greatness while Bradley, landing the majority of clean shots, took the round.
The scores were read. The protests began. But perhaps too many people were brainwashed by the fight the HBO team saw, which was not the fight I saw in the ring and not the fight the judges saw ringside. It could have gone 115-113 for Pacquiao. Maybe. It could have gone 114-114, which was the draw I saw on fight night. But 115-113 for Bradley was certainly a plausible score. It was not unjust. It did not deserve the outcry it received. The Pacquiao mystique (and, remember, the Bradley fight was pre-Marquez 3, a fight where Manny was starched without controversy, a fight which dulled Manny?s luster) clouded too many eyes that night.
Timothy Bradley has never had it easy, but he has always possessed the heart and mind to persevere. He was devastated after his victory over Pacquiao. No matter how much he believed he?d won, his own vision of the fight, his first-hand vision, was tarnished by the hailstorm of boos. Doubt set in. How could it not? During the post-fight interview, Bradley candidly said, ?I?ve got to go back home, review the tape and I?ll see if I won the fight.? Bradley did just that. He reviewed the fight. He saw for himself what happened from a more objective place. When Bradley re-assessed his performance from the comfort of his couch, his resolve became firm. I don?t believe Tim Bradley is bullshitting himself or us when he says he won the fight 8 rounds to 4.
Perhaps Bradley/Pacquiao 2 will make many of boxing?s experts re-assess their views of Bradley/ Pacquiao 1. This fight will be close, but Bradley, the smarter fighter, will win. He boxed well with a busted foot. He?ll box better with two strong feet providing added mobility and added leverage for his punches. Manny Pacquiao will always be the heavier hitter, but there?s much more to boxing than heavy hands. In their first fight, Timothy Bradley was the better boxer. And that?s why the official scorecards for Bradley/Pacquiao 1, and not Harold Lederman?s scorecard, were more in keeping with the truth of that June night at the MGM Grand.
The other reason I predict a Bradley victory is because he possesses the stronger mind. HBO?s Face Off, if nothing else, allows us to see each fighter?s face in close-up. It?s a game of pugilistic poker where tells are easy to spot. Look closely at each man?s face. Bradley is completely assured, comfortable with himself, comfortable with what he?s saying; any doubts he may have had, about his abilities or about his first bout with Pacquiao, are gone. Since that fight, Bradley has beaten the brutal Ruslan Provodnikov and decisioned the ring legend Juan Manuel Marquez. Bradley?s resolve has been forged in fire and ice, a heated war with the Russian, a tactical battle with the Mexican. Pacquiao does not look so sure of himself, his eyes averted. Perhaps that?s part of Manny?s humble nature, but perhaps not. When pressed by Bradley and Max Kellerman, Pac Man asserts he?ll be more violent in this fight. His opponent disagrees. Speaking about the fire in their bellies, where so much of boxing resides, Bradley says of Pacquiao?s flame, ?It?s gone.? What?s Manny?s retort? ?I will pray for that? (that being the fire). Bradley knows he has the fire. Pacquiao doesn?t. Bradley is clearly in Manny?s head. Bradley has convinced Pacquiao that Pacquiao needs to prove himself, not the other way around. The theme of this fight was supposed to be Bradley fighting for redemption. Now the theme is Pacquiao fighting to prove he can still be the beast. Last time Pacquiao tried to prove he was the violent fighter of his youth, he left himself open to throw a knockout punch. He walked into Marquez?s fist.
So look at the faces. At the end of Face-Off the camera zooms in on Timothy Bradley. His eyes don?t move. The camera zooms in on Manny Pacquiao. The fighter of the decade (a decade that ended four years ago) stares straight, eyes unflinching, and for a moment we believe Manny believes. Then Manny blinks.
Adam Berlin is the author of the recently published boxing novel Both Members of the Club (Texas Review Press/winner of the Clay Reynolds Novella Prize). His other novels are The Number of Missing (Spuyten Duyvil), Belmondo Style (St. Martin?s Press/winner of The Publishing Triangle?s Ferro-Grumley Award) and Headlock (Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill). His stories and poetry have appeared in numerous journals. He teaches writing at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City and co-edits J Journal: New Writing on Justice. For more, please visit adamberlin.com.
