‘Bradley fought ala Marquez’

LOS ANGELES – For a while inside the Grand MGM ring, Manny Pacquiao thought he was fighting Juan Manuel Marquez last Saturday evening in Las Vegas.

It’s because Timothy Bradley, according to Pacquiao, tried to employ the same tactic the Mexican counter-puncher used against him in 2012.

“Ginagaya niya si Marquez (He was imitating Marquez). Nag-aabang at sumusuntok ng no-look (He was waiting and throwing no-look punches),”said Pacquiao.

But while Marquez was successful in landing the big right hand that left Pacquiao unconscious for a minute or so, Bradley wasnt’ as lucky.

“Ginagaya niya si Marquez para one-punch. Akala niya si Marquez siya (He thought he was Marquez),” said Pacquiao in the middle of a six-hour bus ride from Las Vegas to this City of Angels.

Pacquiao boarded the bus at around 4 p.m. the day after the fight and got to his home in Larchmont Park a little past 10 in the evening.

He spoke to Filipino scribes that covered the fight, and said he was pleased with the way he performed before 15,601 fans that kept chanting his name.

The 35-year-old Pacquiao was crowned the new WBO welterweight champion after carving out a unanimous decision over Bradley who faded in the later rounds.

“Maganda. Maganda (Beautiful),” said Pacquiao.

The eight-division world champion must have gotten a copy of the punch stats for Saturday’s fight and he was amazed with the number of punches thrown during the 12-round fight.

“Ang dami naming pinakawalan,” he said.

“Pero tumakbo (But he ran),” added Pacquiao who threw a total of 563 punches with 198 connections. Bradley actually threw more (627) but landed less (141).

Pacquiao hurt Bradley a number of times and chased the previously undefeated American as he went for the knockout.

But Bradley was elusive with the way he docked. He docked so low it was almost impossible for him to get hit by a punch if not by a knee.

“Ang hirap na tamaan eh. Sobra na ang baba. Kailangan bumaba din ako. Pero grabe din ang palitan (But we had a good exchange),” said Pacquiao.

In the dying seconds of the fight, the two boxers clashed heads, and it was Pacquiao who ended up with a deep cut at the corner of his left eye.

A plastic surgeon from Las Vegas worked on the cut inside Pacquiao’s dressing room, and it took them more than an hour to close the cut.

It needed 32 stitches on two layers to close. Pacquiao wore a small bandage over the cut the day after and it didn’t look as bad as it really was.

“Kita nga yung buto (You can see the bones). Pero kasama yan. No pain, no gain,” said Pacquiao, adding that inside the dressing room he got a call from his wife, Jinkee.

The Pacquiaos are expecting their fifth child, and third son, by the end of the month. They have decided to name the child Israel. He said Jinkee will give birth in General Santos City.

Pacquiao felt some cramps in the middle rounds but it went away with three rounds left in the fight.

“Konti lang naman,” he said.

Bradley came to fight as promised and went for the knockout. In the fourth round, he landed a couple of rights that got Pacquiao fans a little worried.

But Pacquiao took Bradley’s best punches.

“Pagkatapos ng fourth round nabuo na ang kumpiyansa ko na kaya ko ang suntok niya (After the fourth round I felt confident I can take his punches),” he said.

Bradley pressed the attack in the fifth round and when Pacquiao answered back, the American who’s never been knocked out even called on Pacquiao to throw some more.

Pacquiao heeded Bradley’s call.

From the sixth round it was Pacquiao’s show. He was his old self or at least very close to his old self, throwing punches in flurries and with great speed.