Give Pacquiao a break

[Beanz]

Great fight. Really enjoyed watching the recording earlier but turned a little sour when reading thru the Fight night and other threads. You would think that Bradley only had to turn up and not prance about pretending to be the great boxer that he is clearly not and the conclusion would have been a foregone one, won in the gym or even the dressing room.Nobody seems inclined to admit that they

1. May have overestimated the demise of an battle worn and ageing fighter in Manny

2. May have fallen for the smoke and mirrors hoopla thrown by Bradley who clearly is not half the boxer he thinks he is and overestimated his own skills

Pacquiao has never just been a brawler despite going thru opposition like a buzz saw and he proved that yet again last night. He has lost some speed but his ring IQ, ability to use angles to hurt people and clever feet to get out of the way is still firmly intact. Tim couldn't cope because he simply is not good enough, he made it entertaining in places but the guy is embarrassing in and out of the ring and yet people still hang off his nuts.

[Gandalf]

Both are excellent fighters, but Bradley lost the plot as far as I am concerned. He seemed to really believe that a KO punch would be all it took and considering that he has never been a KO artist and has always ground out wins by being versatile and active, it wasn't very smart boxing. He simply wasn't all that versatile in this fight and at times he was almost asking to be Hatton'ed with his recklessness. He was getting predictable with those wailing wide haymakers. It was as though he was trying to impersonate himself in a fightnight game. I couldn't fathom why he was being so cocky and seemingly so satisfied with a few rounds seemingly handed over on a plate. He should have been up 4-2 and it should have been about using smarts to win a few more rounds. He just wasn't able to focus for 3 minutes of each round.

Manny won the fight, but once again he didn't look particularly impressive. He has clearly lost a step and his output is significantly down on what it used to be and if Bradley was a puncher Manny could have been out of there by the half way mark. Fair play to Manny on grinding it out, but Bradley made it easier for him than it should have been. Bradley is better than that and Manny was better than that, thus I found it lacking in the end.

A good first half, but Bradley lost his marbles and another Top Rank love in was had. What next Manny, Marquez 5? Sheez, he better ask his promoter. I'm tired of Top Rank and want James Toney to fight Bob Arum.

[Dia bando]

Pac wins justice has been done,! we must admit he was robbed in the first fight Bradley is a good
fighter but Pac is better.! I think there a plenty of fights out there for Pac and Bradley, could there
be a rematch how many want to see this fight again.
Floyd V Manny will it happen, does it need too of course it should if this fight never happens, this
will be a travesty networks control what we see, but theses sharks don't like to share great pity.

[Spicoli]

I agree. Far from a Pac fan but he made the flow of the fight and had a direct hand(s) in Tim "choosing" to fight that way from round to round. Cause/ effect. Tims balance was aweful in spots and he was buzzed early and once again he loaded up and left himself in a bad position to be countered. He had already convinced himself that Manny had lost his fire and willingness and didn't plan past it. Manny may have lost a step but he regrouped well and earned a clear victory.

[Beanz]

Both are excellent fighters, but Bradley lost the plot as far as I am concerned. He seemed to really believe that a KO punch would be all it took and considering that he has never been a KO artist and has always ground out wins by being versatile and active, it wasn't very smart boxing. He simply wasn't all that versatile in this fight and at times he was almost asking to be Hatton'ed with his recklessness. He was getting predictable with those wailing wide haymakers. It was as though he was trying to impersonate himself in a fightnight game. I couldn't fathom why he was being so cocky and seemingly so satisfied with a few rounds seemingly handed over on a plate. He should have been up 4-2 and it should have been about using smarts to win a few more rounds. He just wasn't able to focus for 3 minutes of each round.

Manny won the fight, but once again he didn't look particularly impressive. He has clearly lost a step and his output is significantly down on what it used to be and if Bradley was a puncher Manny could have been out of there by the half way mark. Fair play to Manny on grinding it out, but Bradley made it easier for him than it should have been. Bradley is better than that and Manny was better than that, thus I found it lacking in the end.

A good first half, but Bradley lost his marbles and another Top Rank love in was had. What next Manny, Marquez 5? Sheez, he better ask his promoter. I'm tired of Top Rank and want James Toney to fight Bob Arum.

I cannot agree. Bradley is not excellent. Has never been and never will be. That is of course, just my own opinion.

[Rantcatrat]

I agree to an extent. Pacquiao's demise might have been overrated, but there's still been some slippage, and as mentioned in another thread, I'm not super confident he can take a punch all that well any more. It was a fun fight.

[Beanz]

I agree to an extent. Pacquiao's demise might have been overrated, but there's still been some slippage, and as mentioned in another thread, I'm not super confident he can take a punch all that well any more. It was a fun fight.

I agee he is certainly not the fighter he once was but that speaks more for what a hell of a fighter he was in his heyday than for how Bradley was stupid for not being able to adjust his game plan. There were a couple almost scares there where I found myself hoping that he would not be found wanting by a pretty average and at times meek, clowning Bradley. To get knocked out by a modern great like Marquez is one thing but to fall pray to a flailing off balance vegetarian action man doll is quite another. Tim played his part but I think he revealed more of his own limitations than Manny did. Manny is walking towards the horizon and it may have been his last great fight but there were moments in it which revealed why he was once a true GREAT.

[IamInuit]

Both are excellent fighters, but Bradley lost the plot as far as I am concerned. He seemed to really believe that a KO punch would be all it took and considering that he has never been a KO artist and has always ground out wins by being versatile and active, it wasn't very smart boxing. He simply wasn't all that versatile in this fight and at times he was almost asking to be Hatton'ed with his recklessness. He was getting predictable with those wailing wide haymakers. It was as though he was trying to impersonate himself in a fightnight game. I couldn't fathom why he was being so cocky and seemingly so satisfied with a few rounds seemingly handed over on a plate. He should have been up 4-2 and it should have been about using smarts to win a few more rounds. He just wasn't able to focus for 3 minutes of each round.

Manny won the fight, but once again he didn't look particularly impressive. He has clearly lost a step and his output is significantly down on what it used to be and if Bradley was a puncher Manny could have been out of there by the half way mark. Fair play to Manny on grinding it out, but Bradley made it easier for him than it should have been. Bradley is better than that and Manny was better than that, thus I found it lacking in the end.

A good first half, but Bradley lost his marbles and another Top Rank love in was had. What next Manny, Marquez 5? Sheez, he better ask his promoter. I'm tired of Top Rank and want James Toney to fight Bob Arum.

I cannot agree. Bradley is not excellent. Has never been and never will be. That is of course, just my own opinion.

I agree with @Gandalf totally. I guess we watched the same fight. Bradley quite literally gave the fight away. It was not his skill set that folded, it was his pea sized brain that did. I had him ahead after 5 by a round and ahead 3/4 of the way through the sixth and then he suddenly turned into Augustus. It was as if somebody turned off a valve. He may have gave away the sixth round in the last 30 seconds but in theory was ahead by 2. I think the cards will show that when they are posted although the first round was tricky as they can be more often then not. So what discouraged Timmy as he was doing much better to this point then he was in the first fight? It really was as if the wheels fell off half way up the hill.

Manny happened and he was not as aired out as maybe they thought and they truly believed they actually could knock him out. Sincere delusion but they believed it. When Manny was still standing and starting to get what looked like his second wind, all of a sudden Tim went full on Whitaker and quit throwing. He also went gun shy and on several occasions actually turned his melon head away in anticipation which is something you dont do unless you are involved in a first boxing lesson as a walk in. Manny kept coming and showed smarts but if Tim even had mediocre power I'm not to sure we'd be having this discussion.

Manny put in a gutsy performance and deserves credit for the win but he did look about 60% of what he has looked like and even after the fight seemed a little to reserved.

I take some issue in you saying that Tim is not an excellent fighter. Not only does that statement take away from Mannys win but its also patently false. You dont get to where he is or have the notches he has on his gun handle w/o being above average. His resume is in the top 5 of the sport. If anything, its not that people are not giving Manny enough credit but rather people giving him to much. I'm already seeing threads making the leap from this fight to the phantom one and that somehow Floyd is now more scared or bla bla bla. Yet to me if it was anything other then a feud stopping it Floyd would most likely be on the phone right now. Btw who does Manny think he is the Pope? He makes the press row wait close to 3 hours wtf? And Bradley whats with the limps again and then telling Arum not to talk about it? Drama queen. He claims to have no excuses but walks out with one. What a tool.

I'll watch it again because Mannys mom could have played a key role in this

[J_Undisputed]

I mentioned in another thread that I thought bradley was going about the fight the wrong way. His approach seemed to be based on this deep seeded belief that manny no longer had a killer instinct. He never had the thought of what if Manny didn't need it to beat him? Bradley, like a lot of people, was counting on a dilapidated pacquaio that's been prorated post Marquez Ko, as you mention in your points.

When I was watching the first half of the fight. I was wondering why many seemed flatter than usual. It was a more competitive as many seemed to walk in with his hands high rather than his usual springy footwork. I wondered if this is what was left of an aging Manny. Later in the fight, he regained that spring in his step and in the last round he seemed to be buzzing around bradley, like the manny that most of us knew. With that I will say that I think in the first half of the fight:

a. either roach expected bradley to come out full of confidence and try to go balls to the wall on Manny. Throwing everything but the kitchen sink with the thoughts of landing something heavy (well for Bradley anyway) or at the very least setting the pace for the fight to keep many honest.

b. Roach realizes Manny has slipped a bit and wanted to save Manny's legs for the second half of the fight to counter Tim's endurance and any push in the second half like there was from Tim in the first fight.

c. Manny feels the need to play it cautiously in the first couple of rounds and play it out to make sure he doesn't walk into something ever again or counted on bradley trying to time him. It takes some warm up time to lose the jitters and get his legs underneath him.

or some mixture of those 3. Whatever the case Manny didnt seem to be fighting as naturally as he we have seen him in the past. Once he settled in, he seemed to be a little better.

Judging by bradleys performance, I have to wonder if that was his game plan. To come in and try to goad Manny into warring with him so he would be there to counter. Or if Mayweather visiting him this week put a bug in his hear that basically said "you need to step this up and look entertaining if you want a money fight with me after you win this." Anyone know when bradley's contract with top rank ends? I thought 24/7 said he signed a 2 year after or before the first fight with manny.

[Master]

I think Manny still has a lot left and credit from coming back from that devastating knock out. I think we need to give Bradley some respect too. The judges gave him the first fight not him. Please do not say that you expect Bradley to say he lost either.

[armin]

lmao at pacmans mother, nutter

[imp]

I think Manny still has a lot left and credit from coming back from that devastating knock out. I think we need to give Bradley some respect too. The judges gave him the first fight not him. Please do not say that you expect Bradley to say he lost either.

I completely agree with this and the better man won..bradley is saying now he hurt his calf after the 4th round but it doesnt matter anymore.

[pacfan]

I think most of you fellas got it wrong. Bradley thought if he tried to box Manny as he did the last time (and got outboxed instead) he would have no chance with the judges this time and I think he was right. That's probably the reason he went for the KO, mimicking Marquez KO punch. He probably thought he had no choice... About him being injured again, I think it's true cuz he 'bob and weaves' just a bit too much, often twisting his legs.

About the Pac's mother, she's, to put it kindly, a devout Catholic and raised Manny as one. There was a much publicized spat between them when the so-called evangelical guys converted Pac. That's the context behind her 'blaming God' for the loss of Pac to Marquez - sort of 'I told you son, you'll be punished if you don't revert.' I guess that's why she was there waving the rosary, which Manny abandoned after his conversion, for him - she probably seriously believes Manny not bringing his rosary has something to do with his loss...

[Hulk]

I think most of you fellas got it wrong. Bradley thought if he tried to box Manny as he did the last time (and got outboxed instead) he would have no chance with the judges this time and I think he was right. That's probably the reason he went for the KO, mimicking Marquez KO punch. He probably thought he had no choice... About him being injured again, I think it's true cuz he 'bob and weaves' just a bit too much, often twisting his legs.

About the Pac's mother, she's, to put it kindly, a devout Catholic and raised Manny as one. There was a much publicized spat between them when the so-called evangelical guys converted Pac. That's the context behind her 'blaming God' for the loss of Pac to Marquez - sort of 'I told you son, you'll be punished if you don't revert.' I guess that's why she was there waving the rosary, which Manny abandoned after his conversion, for him - she probably seriously believes Manny not bringing his rosary has something to do with his loss...

It was a bit classless by HBO to put Mrs. Pacquaio on blast like that.

She comes from a dirt poor background n probably has about a 4th grade education. She is obviously prone up superstition and apparent religious fanaticism.

I believe in God, however I do not believe he much cares about the outcome of a prize fight or that clutching inanimate objects and pointing fingers can do much.

It was a bit sad seeing Manny's mother behaving like that. More sad that HBO felt the need to put a huge spotlight on it so we all could have a good white America laugh at her.

[Gandalf]

In a funny way this fight was maybe a bit like Hatton's fight with Malignaggi. It was an end of career huurah against someone who was unlikely to be able to dent him. Yet Bradley did hit him clean several times and I sense a puncher would have put Pac down. If Pac goes in with Mayweather now, he would do better than Hatton did against Pac, but I can see Mayweather timing him sweet and down she goes.

What on earth is Manny's mother all about? She is clearly insane and needs to stop putting the hex on people. It is sinister.