As Pacquiao today contemplates his first defeat in eight years, the loss of his WBO welterweight title and, more importantly, the disappearance of his mega-money bout with Floyd Mayweather, at least he can console himself with the thought that he has been on the other side of the argument.

Given that many felt he should have lost when the judges made him the winner against Juan Manuel Márquez in the same ring in November, some might see this a payback.

That, though, had been close. If Pacquiao was guilty of anything against Bradley, it was letting the American off the hook.

In rounds three, four and five, Pacquiao had Bradley on wobbly legs, seemingly a punch or two from defeat as he landed time and again with straight lefts through the middle of Bradley’s guard.

But Pacquiao never found the finishing combinationsn and as the bout wore on, Bradley gained confidence and came more into things.

Most ringside opinion had Pacquiao winning by a landslide, backed up by the punch stats that showed him landing 253 of the 751 he threw, compared with the 159 from 839 for Bradley.

Pacquiao also landed 82 more power punches. One judge, Jerry Roth, gave it to Pacquiao by 115-113; however, the other two, CJ Ross and Duane Ford, had it by the same score to Bradley.

Pacquiao, who has made much of the rediscovery of his faith in the run-up to the bout, was more understanding. “I accept what the result is,” he said. “I respect the judges, I cannot blame them. It is a part of the game.”

Some six miles north, Floyd Mayweather or Inmate No 01363917 as he is known at Clark County Correction Centre, where he is ten days into a three-month sentence for domestic assault did not get the chance to watch.

Despite seeing potentially the biggest purse in history vanish, one imagines he would have been smiling.

source: http://massnewsmedia.com/sport/6192/manny-pacquiaos-defeat-to-bradley-leaves-mayweather-fight-in-jeopardy/