Bradley eats humble pie, vows return

LAS VEGAS, Philippines – The Desert Storm has been downgraded to a gust of hot air even as previously unbeaten Timothy Bradley vowed the other day to come back with a vengeance after losing a clear decision to Manny Pacquiao at the MGM Grand Garden Arena here Saturday night.

Bradley, 30, entered the ring to face Pacquiao in their rematch without a blemish on his record. He left humbled, tasting his first-ever defeat in a fight whose outcome was up for grabs until Pacquiao took control for good in the sixth round. Bradley punched himself out in the early going, looking to put Pacquiao down with a single shot. Because he had more misses than connections, Bradley expended a lot of wasted energy. He swung wildly as Pacquiao proved to be an elusive target, using deft footwork to move away from danger zone.

As the fight came to the so-called championship rounds, Bradley was so winded that he occasionally teetered off-balance. Pacquiao displayed dizzying foot and handspeed until the end. Bradley never expected to be outmaneuvered so badly. In their first fight two years ago, Pacquiao built an early lead and faded down the stretch. It was the reverse last Saturday as Pacquiao had a slow start, was staggered in the fourth round then seized control in the sixth and never let go of the reins.

CompuBox stats showed that both fighters weren’t as busy in the rematch. In the first meeting, Pacquiao landed 253 of 751 punches for a 34 percent connection rate while Bradley went 159 of 839 for 19 percent. Pacquiao wasn’t as active offensively in the return bout, hitting 198 of 563 for 35 percent compared to Bradley’s 141 of 627 for 22 percent. The big difference was in Bradley’s change of offense. In the first fight, he threw 449 jabs. In the rematch, he threw only 287 jabs, shifting to a power gear instead of a stick-and-run approach.

Pacquiao was surprised by Bradley’s aggressiveness and took a few rounds before finding the antidote to the right hand. Once Pacquiao figured out how to neutralize the right, he focused on executing his offense. Pacquiao turned it into a tactical chess match as he flustered Bradley with counter tactics that the defending champion’s trainer Joel Diaz couldn’t break down. It was clear that Diaz wasn’t in Freddie Roach’s class.

Before the fight, Bradley said he was thinking of retiring after five bouts. So his count is down to four more outings. The problem is since Bradley isn’t an exciting fighter, he won’t be in line for any big money event in the near future. He pocketed a guaranteed $6 Million last Saturday. Bradley will be lucky to earn $1 Million in his next fight.

“It’s back to the gym for me,” said Bradley. “Not a big deal. I lost to one of the best fighters in the world. He was the better man. I tried, I really tried. Life goes on.” Diaz claimed Bradley injured his right calf in the first round and it hampered his movement the rest of the way. Curiously, Bradley won the fourth and fifth rounds in all three judges’ scorecards despite the supposed injury.

An ugly note of the fight was Bradley headbutting Pacquiao with about 16 seconds left. Whether it was accidental or not is a subject of debate. Pacquiao suffered a bad cut over his left eye. Games and Amusements Board boxing chief Dr. Nasser Cruz was in Pacquiao’s dressing room when Las Vegas plastic surgeon Dr. Jeffrey Roth, whose wife Dena is Top Rank CEO Todd DuBeof’s sister, closed the wound with 32 stitches, 15 inside and 17 outside. Todd DuBeof is Top Rank chairman Bob Arum’s son-in-law.

Dr. Cruz said Pacquiao’s cut was two centimeters wide horizontally and one centimeter long vertically. Dr. Roth used a Y-cut to sew up the gash. The procedure took about an hour. Bradley has been known to butt opponents with three fights ending in technical decisions and one a no-contest because of cuts inflicted by the clash of heads.