Bradley keeps title he took from Pacquiao

Timothy Bradley poses with his champion's belt following WBO welterweight title fight split decision victory over Manny Pacquiao, from the Philippines, Saturday, June 9, 2012, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

LAS VEGAS—Undefeated American Tim Bradley has chosen to keep the World Boxing Organization welterweight crown he took from Filipino icon Manny Pacquiao and forfeit the WBO junior welterweight crown.

The decision, revealed on the sanctioning body’s website, means Mexico’s Juan Manuel Marquez moves into the WBO junior welterweight throne while Bradley sits atop the WBO welterweight ranks after his controversial split decision shocker.

Marquez, who had held the interim WBO junior welterweight title, has now reigned in four weight classes, half as many as Pacquiao.

Bradley, 29-0 with 12 knockouts, hopes for a November 10 rematch with Pacquiao. But “Pac-Man” promoter Bob Arum has made a case for Pacquiao instead to fight Marquez for a fourth time after beating him twice and drawing once.

Each Pacquiao-Marquez fight was a slugfest and a close verdict.

Either Marquez or Bradley appears to be a more likely foe than unbeaten US star Floyd Mayweather, who remains behind bars on domestic violence charges but should be ready to fight again late this year.

Fans have longed for a Mayweather-Pacquiao fight but negotiations have failed and the luster has started to dim in the wake of Pacquiao’s defeat and Mayweather’s incarceration.