Timothy Bradley, left, lands a left to the head of Manny Pacquiao, of the Philippines, in their WBO welterweight title boxing fight Saturday, April 12, 2014, in Las Vegas. AP
MANILA, Philippines — Timothy Bradley admitted Manny Pacquiao was able to hurt him throughout their WBO welterweight title rematch that lasted another 12 rounds Saturday (Sunday in Manila).
Bradley’s face swelled from the punches he took from Pacquiao but Bradley was convinced that the former pound-for-pound king’s power was no longer the same from the time they met in the ring the first time nearly two years ago.
“I believe in the first fight his punching power was way harder but I was able to take it,” Bradley, who suffered his first loss after winning 31 straight, said during the post-fight presser.
“I mean it was very effective tonight, he was able to daze me a couple of times during the fight but I still was able to stay up on my feet but I had no control of my balance this time around.”
Pacquiao said he looked for the knockout but just couldn’t pull it off as Bradley managed to hang on.
“There was a time I was looking for the knockout but he was moving around,” Pacquiao said after a decisive 116-112, 116-112, 118-110 unanimous decision win.
“Oh yeah he went for the knockout. He definitely did,” said the 30-year-old Bradley.
Bradley too tried to finish off the fight when the chance presented itself after he staggered Pacquiao in the fourth round.
“That was the only way I was going to win the fight,” Bradley said.
“My opponent is trying to knock me out. There were a couple of times where he hit me with good right and left hooks but it’s okay, I managed through those punches,” also said Pacquiao, who got 32 stitches after getting a nasty gash over his left eye after an accidental head butt in the waning seconds of the last round.
Pacquiao’s power didn’t seem to be the difference maker but rather his experience was.
“Pacquiao is very experienced, he knows how to land punches and If I don’t knock this guy out I didn’t think I was going to win a close round. So I was just shooting and going for the knockout like I told everybody I was going to go for it. He said I hurt him in the fourth round with a big shot over the top, I tried to finish up but like I said he is really experienced in the ring,” Bradley added.
Whether the 35-year-old Pacquiao’s power has taken a dip with his best years may have been behind him and that he still hasn’t stopped an opponent since scoring a TKO victory over Miguel Cotto five years ago, he was still able to make a point.
“I proved tonight that my journey in boxing will continue. My opponent is not easy, he is very tough. A couple more years I can still fight,” said the Fighter of the Decade Pacquiao.
“Pacquiao was the better man tonight. He was able to show what he’s made of. The dude still has it,” said Bradley.
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