LAS VEGAS (July 21, 2019) – Boxing’s only eight-division world champion, Senator Manny “PacMan” Pacquiao dropped Keith “One Time” Thurman in round one and won a close split decision to earn a welterweight world title in the main event of a Premier Boxing Champions on FOX Sports Pay-Per-View event Saturday night from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

“It was fun,” said Pacquiao. “My opponent is a good fighter and boxer. He was strong. I’m not that kind of boxer who talks a lot; we were just promoting the fight. I think he did his best, and I did my best. I think we made the fans happy tonight because it was a good fight.”

The sell-out crowd of 14,356 got treated to great action from the start, as an exciting first round was capped off by Pacquiao dropping Thurman for the first time in his career with a straight right hand late in the round.

“I knew it was too close,” said Thurman. “He got the knockdown so he had momentum in round one.”

Thurman made it into the second round but continued to have trouble with Pacquiao’s right hand, as the future Hall of Famer threw it successfully as a jab and a power punch throughout the fight. Thurman adjusted in the middle rounds and began to try to smother Pacquiao and walk him down, having success when he was able to get his combinations off before his opponent.

Despite blood pouring from his nose from round four on, Thurman was able to land powerful combinations on Pacquiao for much of the second half of the fight, but was never able to hurt Pacquiao or score a knockdown of his own.

“I wish I had a little bit more output to go toe to toe,” said Thurman. “I felt like he was getting a little bit tired, but he did have experience in the ring. My conditioning and my output was just behind Manny Pacquiao’s. I would love the rematch.”

In round 10, Pacquiao’s landed a strong left hook to the body that clearly hurt Thurman and forced him to spend much of the remainder of the round backpedaling. The CompuBox scores were indicative of the close nature of the fight, with Thurman out landing Pacquiao 210 to 195, while Pacquiao was busier throwing 686 punches to 571 from Thurman.

“I really love the fans,” said Pacquiao. “Thank you so much for coming here and witnessing the fight. I’m sure they were happy tonight because they saw a good fight. Even though Thurman lost, he did his best. He’s not an easy opponent. He’s a good boxer and he’s strong. I was just blessed tonight.”

Watch the round 10 highlight HERE

Pacquiao had a large advantage in jabs landed, connecting on 82 to Thurman’s 18. The 192 power punches landed by Thurman was the most in 43 Pacquiao fights that CompuBox has tracked. Round-by-round, the two fighters were only separated by more than five landed punches in rounds two, seven and nine.

After 12 rounds, the judges reached a split decision, with one judge scoring the fight 114-113 for Thurman, overruled by two judges scoring it 115-112 for Pacquiao, who captured the WBA Welterweight World Championship at 40-years-old.

“You get blessings and lessons,” said Thurman. “Tonight was a blessing and a lesson. Thank you everybody, and thank you Manny Pacquiao.”

“I think (I will fight) next year,” said Pacquiao. “I will go back to the Philippines and work and then make a decision. I do hope to be at the (Errol) Spence vs. (Shawn) Porter fight on September 28.”

The co-main event of the pay-per-view saw top contender Yordenis Ugas (24-4, 11 KOs) drop previously unbeaten Omar Figueroa (28-1-1, 19 KOs) on his way to a unanimous decision in their WBC welterweight title eliminator.

Ugas got off to a strong start, connecting on a straight right hand that sent Figueroa into the ropes, which he held onto so he didn’t hit the canvas, but enough that referee Russell Mora ruled it a knockdown.

“The fight played out how I thought it would,” said Ugas. “I came out strong and Figueroa was tough as well. This was similar to the fight everyone expected. I came out on top.”

Watch the highlight of the knockdown HERE

Figueroa recovered and was able to make it to round two, where he continued his strategy of coming forward to try to hurt Ugas on the inside. Ugas was able to control that action on the inside, landing numerous uppercuts to stun Figueroa. However, the inside fighting led to Ugas being deducted a point by the referee in round five for holding.

“Ugas fought a smart fight,” said Figueroa. “He was smothering me on the inside and holding. I thought the scores were too wide. I was following him and working the whole time. I felt like he only worked the last 30 seconds of the round, but I guess that was all it took.

“I didn’t have any problems with his size. I thought I was able to do my thing, but when he was holding me I couldn’t get my offense going.”

Despite that, and being warned later in the fight for delivering low blows, Ugas dominated the fight according to CompuBox, out landing Figueroa 229 to 131 and connecting with 28% of his punches, to Figueroa’s 22%.

“I knew Figueroa was a tough guy, so I didn’t want to waste my energy trying to take him out early,” said Ugas. “I was ready to go 12 rounds.”

After 12 rounds, all three judges scored the fight the same, 119-107 in favor of Ugas, who became the mandatory for the winner of the Errol Spence Jr. vs. Shawn Porter welterweight title unification.

“I’m extremely happy to be in this position to fight for the WBC title again,” said Ugas. “I will be ready for the winner of Errol Spence Jr. vs. Shawn Porter.”

Additional action saw former world champion Sergey Lipinets (16-1, 12 KOs) score a highlight-reel knockout against Jayar Inson (18-3, 12 KOs) in the second round of their welterweight matchup.

Lipinets was originally scheduled to fight John Molina Jr., before Molina pulled out of the fight Friday morning due to a back injury. Inson, who was scheduled to fight on the non-televised undercard, stepped up to the challenge.

“When I first heard the news about Molina, I knew that I wanted to still fight on a show of this magnitude,” said Lipinets. “As far as fighting a southpaw, I’ve had so many amateur fights in my kickboxing career that I had no problem adjusting. It was just a matter of time. I also have sparred with great southpaws like Victor Ortiz throughout my career, so I was comfortable with the change in fighter.”

In an exchange early in the second round, Lipinets landed a clean left hook to Inson’s head, which sent the Filipino-fighter to the canvas. Although Inson got to his feet, referee Jay Nady waved off the bout 57 seconds into the round.

“I got hit and I slipped, that made it look worse,” said Inson. “When I stood up I thought I was fine and tried to raise my hands and show the referee.”

“Joe Goossen is an exceptional trainer and he just told me to work from a different direction facing a southpaw,” said Lipinets. “I just made sure to block his punches with my elbows. That was the only adjustment I had to make and it ended up working just fine.”

Watch the Lipinets KO highlight HERE

The opening pay-per-view bout saw undefeated former champion Luis Nery (30-0, 24 KOs) deliver a ninth-round knockout of former bantamweight champion Juan Carlos Payano (21-3, 9 KOs).

“I wasn’t really paying attention to how long the fight was going, I was just getting into a rhythm as it went on,” said Nery. “I had to work hard to get to him because he’s a good boxer. The longer it went, the better I felt. I put my punches together well once I got going.”

In a fast-paced duel of former champions, Payano had success early boxing the aggressive Nery, moving back to avoid his attack and landing his own offense against the knockout artist. Payano out landed or was even in punches landed for each of the first six rounds of the bout.

“I’m a warrior and I wanted to keep going and fight back every time he came forward,” said Payano. “My coach wanted me to stay behind my jab a little more.”

As the fight grew into the middle rounds, Nery began to increase the offense and was able to land power shots that slowed Payano’s ability to box from the outside. Nery hurt Payano early in round seven, eventually dominating the round, out landing his opponent 22 to 7.

“He was a very complicated fighter at the beginning, he’s a veteran, so I had to try to adapt to his style to see how I could get in,” said Nery. “In the fifth or sixth round I started gaining control of the fight and then that left hook came to the body which was devastating.”

“During the exchanges it was Nery’s second shot that was getting in,” said Payano. “We corrected the issue but then that body shot came in from nowhere and hit me in a rib that I had broken years ago against Raushee Warren.”

Round eight saw Nery continue to break Payano down, most notably landing a big left hand midway through the round that caused blood to pour from Payano’s nose. During an exchange in the ninth-round, Payano landed a devastating left hook to the ribs that put Payano down. He was unable to recover and referee Vic Drakulich halted the bout 1:43 into the round.

“I wanted to get him out early,” said Nery. “But this showed that I do have the experience to go into the later rounds and still take out my opponent. I showed that I have good defense and can make adjustments.”

Watch Nery’s knockout HERE

The FOX PBC Fight Night main event on FOX and FOX Deportes saw IBF Super Middleweight World Champion Caleb “Sweethands” Plant (19-0, 11 KOs) retain his title with a dominant third-round knockout over previously unbeaten Mike Lee (21-1, 11 KOs).

“It went exactly how I planned it would go,” said Plant. “Absolutely. I’ve been telling you all week it wasn’t going to go 12 rounds and I stuck to my word and I tried to do that. I hope you guys had a good time.”

Plant got off to a fast-start, dropping Lee with a left hook late in the first round. The unbeaten challenger was able to recover and survive the round, but was hard-pressed to make up for the hand speed advantage of Plant.

You can watch Plant’s first knockdown HERE

“I think I have a high boxing IQ and I do this at a really high level,” said Plant. “So it was just about making adjustments. He’s a big, strong guy and he just came in here to give it his all.”

Lee looked to charge in hard against Plant and use his size and power to land a big shot and change the momentum of the fight. Plant was sharp and avoided the looping right hands that Lee was attacking with.

“The speed was the difference, he’s fast and very accurate,” said Lee. “I had some success with my right hands but wasn’t able to be consistent with it.”

In round three, Plant landed a vicious right hook early in the round that put Lee down for the second time. After a left hook appeared to connect and send Lee down a second time, referee Robert Byrd ruled it had come from a push and continued the fight once Lee got to his feet.

Plant had his opponent hurt and continued to press forward, eventually landing another left hook that put Lee down, this time forcing the referee to wave off the bout 1:29 into the round.

Watch the highlight of Plant’s TKO HERE

“I had no issue with the stoppage, that’s the referee’s job and I respect it,” said Lee.

After the fight, Benavidez was asked about a possible unification fight against the winner of the just announced Anthony Dirrell vs. David Benavidez WBC Super Middleweight Championship fight.

“Oh yeah, we can definitely unify,” said Plant. “I ain’t hard to get a hold of. I ain’t hard to make a fight with. Come see me. You know my advisor.”

The opening bout on FOX and FOX Deportes saw Efe Ajagba (11-0, 9 KOs) score a unanimous decision over Ali Eren Demirezen (11-1, 10 KOs) in a 10-round battle of undefeated heavyweights. It was the first time that two unbeaten fighters from the 2016 Olympics faced off as pros.

You can find full fight highlights HERE

Ajagba used his jab and height effectively throughout the fight, landing 10 of 45 jabs per round, doubling the heavyweight average. However, an elbow injury and the accurate punching of Demirezen forced Ajagba to go the distance for the first time as a pro.

“This was the first fighter to take me the distance,” said Ajagba. “He was strong and could take my punches. My trainer just told me to keep using my jab and stay in the middle of the ring.

“I hurt my elbow early on, so I couldn’t shoot my right hand like I wanted. But I won’t use that as an excuse. As a tall man I had to use the jab and if it went the distance, that was my best way to win.”

Demirezen thought the scorecards should have been closer and believed that his performance should have garnered him more than the decision loss. Demirezen was actually the more accurate puncher, landing 26% of his punches to 22% from Ajagba.

“I don’t agree with the scores, especially 99-91” said Demirezen. “It was much closer. I feel that at minimum, it was a draw. I knew I had to knock him out and that a knockout might be easier than winning by points. I thought it was a good performance but I can do better. I’d like to fight in the U.S. again.”

Ajagba’s activity from start to finish was impressive, as he threw 877 total punches, landing 191. While Demirezen was not far behind with 149 punches landed, he only out landed Ajagba in three rounds.

After 10 rounds of action all three judges scored the fight in favor of Ajagba, by scores of 99-91 twice and 97-93.

# # #

ABOUT PACQUIAO VS. THURMAN
Order the PPV and visit PremierBoxingChampions.com for Fight Night Info and more on Manny Pacquiao and Keith Thurman.

Pacquiao vs. Thurman pit boxing’s only eight-division world champion and Philippine Senator Manny “Pac Man” Pacquiao against undefeated WBA Welterweight World Champion Keith “One Time” Thurman in the main event of a Premier Boxing Champions on FOX Sports Pay-Per-View event Saturday night from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

The pay-per-view began at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and featured undefeated former world champion Omar “El Panterita” Figueroa Jr. taking on Yordenis Ugás in a WBC welterweight title eliminator, plus hard-hitting former world champion Sergey Lipinets goes toe-to-toe against Jayar Inson and undefeated power-puncher Luis “Pantera” Nery facing slick-boxing Juan Carlos Payano in a bantamweight bout. The event was promoted by MP Promotions, TGB Promotions and Mayweather Promotions.

ABOUT PLANT VS. LEE
FOX PBC Fight Night on FOX and FOX Deportes was headlined by undefeated IBF Super Middleweight World Champion Caleb “Sweethands” Plant making the first defense of his title against unbeaten contender and University of Notre Dame graduate Mike Lee Saturday, July 20 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Televised coverage began at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT with rising unbeaten heavyweight sensation Efe Ajagba squaring off against undefeated 2016 Turkish Olympian Ali Eren Demirezen. The event was promoted by Sweethands Promotions and TGB Promotions.

After being widely rumored to be heading to Madison Square Garden, The proposed Pay-Pew-View card featuring Jeff Horn defending his WBO Welterweight title bout between Jeff Horn and Terence Crawford will be staged at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

Although the fight, long in the works, has not been officially announced, Bob Arum said it is now agreed to on both sides. The site, though, will be Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas as the main event of a pay-per-view card Top Rank is putting on in conjunction with ESPN as part of their long-term deal.

“Mandalay Bay is a great venue and we’re happy to put this card on there,” Arum said. “You’ve got a lot of boxing in New York coming up, so it made sense to move the fight to Las Vegas when Mandalay Bay became available.”

Arum said that he is in the process of finalizing the co-feature between Filipino legend Manny Pacquiao, the former eight-division world champion, and former junior welterweight titlist Mike Alvarado (38-4, 26 KOs), 37, of Denver.

Arum said there would also be another world title bout on the card. It will pit junior featherweight world titleholder Jessie Magdaleno (25-0, 18 KOs), 26, of Las Vegas, in his mandatory defense against hard-hitting Isaac Dogboe (18-0, 12 KOs), 23, of Ghana.

Arum said he initially was going to make that fight the main event of his April 28 ESPN card but decided to move it to the April 14 show to beef up the pay-per-view.

“That’s going to be a really good fight,” Arum said. “It’s a 50-50 fight, I think. Both guys can really hit.”

By Norm Frauenheim

Floyd Mayweather Jr. has been more CEO than TBE from the moment he took the initiative and approached Manny Pacquiao at a Miami Heat game in the move that led to the deal for their May 2 fight at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand.

He’s effective in the CEO role. Likable, too. His exchanges with the media are crisp, forthright and polite. The understated manner is a hint at the calculated, precise tactician he will be at opening bell for what is sure to be the richest fight ever.

He has repeatedly referred to the long-awaited showdown with Pacquiao as just another fight. A job, he calls it.

“I know it’s the biggest fight in boxing history, but I can’t approach it like that,” Mayweather said Wednesday during a conference call. “I’m never going to put any unnecessary pressure on myself.’’

Cool, that makes sense.

Simplicity is an art necessary to any successful battle plan. But here’s the question: Why TBE? Why now?

Mayweather has called himself The Best Ever for a long time, but the claim has been restricted to the TBE acronym seen so often on caps and T-shirts. But now he has decided to re-exert his claim on being history’s best, first in an interview with ESPN’s Stephen A Smith and again Wednesday in a call with reporters from across world.

His comments Wednesday weren’t quite as strong as they were to ESPN. He told Smith he was better than Ali and Sugar Ray Robinson, who is No. 1 in most all-time pound-for-pound ratings. On Wednesday he was asked only about Ali and he talked only about Ali.

“He called himself The Greatest and I call myself TBE,” Mayweather said. “I’m pretty sure I’ll get criticized for what I said, but I could care less. I could care less about the backlash.”

The mystery is why Mayweather would invite the inevitable backlash within a couple of weeks of a fight that, more than any other, will define his place alongside Ali, Robinson and those he didn’t mention. With apologies to all of the legends not mentioned, Sugar Ray Leonard, Roberto Duran, Joe Louis and Julio Cesar Chavez belong in the argument, too.

History didn’t have to be part of the job description, at least not in the way the CEO in Mayweather defined it. But the TBE in him put it there without apology. It also put him at risk of the unnecessary pressure he seeks to avoid.

Perhaps, Mayweather will prove he is as good at making history as he is at making money. Maybe, he knocks out Pacquiao. Maybe, he gets up from a knockdown to score a dramatic victory. Maybe, maybe. But maybe it goes the other way. Maybe, TBE will come to mean Pacquiao.

Most of the pressure is already on Mayweather. He’ll get 60 percent of record-setting revenue, which for him figures to be anywhere from $80 million to a $180 million. He’s also undefeated, which over the years has generated a lot of amateur psychoanalysis. The 0 in that 47-0 record has become a symbol of what motivates Mayweather. The theory is that he protects it at all costs. It’s become his identity.

A loss, former heavyweight champ George Foreman said Thursday in a conference call, “could devastate him as a boxer — not as a man, but as a boxer. He might have to go out in the country somewhere if he lost.’’

Foreman suffered his first loss to Ali in Zaire. He was 40-0 before Ali beat him in The Rumble In The Jungle in 1974. It was a loss that altered the way Foreman looked at himself. It was 15 months before he could step through the ropes again.

“I’m the one guy who knows what it’s like to be undefeated going into a fight like that and to be knocked off that pedestal,” said Foreman, who will appear Saturday night in HBO’s “Mayweather/Pacquiao: The Legends Speak.’’

Ali had already endured defeat. He understood it. Learned from it. Came back from it. In a sport defined by adversity, defeat can forge newfound strength. At 57-5, Pacquiao has experienced it. Mayweather has not.

“Pacquiao has it a little better,’’ said Foreman, who picks the Filipino to win a narrow decision. “He is already picked as the underdog. There’s not a whole lot of pressure on him.

“But when you have never lost before in a fight of this magnitude, there’s so much pressure on you, more pressure than you have ever had before, more pressure than on any other athlete right now.’’

Too much pressure? The CEO says no. But TBE? Proof of Mayweather’s bold claim is still waiting To Be Evaluated on May 2.

Manny Pacquiao 145 – Timothy Bradley 145.5
Ray Beltran 134.5 – Arash Usmanee 135
Bryan Vasquez 130 – Jose Felix 130
Oscar Valdez 129 – Adrian Perez 130

Photo by Chris Farina / Top Rank

Saturday at Venetian Resort in Macau a passable imitation of Filipino welterweight Manny Pacquiao whacked about American Brandon Rios in a passable imitation of a Las Vegas superfight. Pacquiao won 11 rounds unanimously while looking less powerful and less precise – the margins by which he feels comfortable making an opponent miss have widened since December last, understandably – and less joyful than the man who once made prizefighting his enchanting spectacle.

Symmetrically enough, Manny Pacquiao looked like nothing so much as Macau, the knockoff host city of his first pay-per-view event in China. Pacquiao was not new in any way, not the labeling or haircut or faith tradition or commitment to extirpating poverty with yellow gloves; he was not the same-old Pacquiao so much as the same, old Pacquiao – much as Macau is nothing new but a taupe version of the Las Vegas strip, as if the deities of Nevada, Steve Wynn and company, picked the seventh day both for resting and constructing Macau, finding in their original blueprints a need to revise only scale, calculating quite rightly no one in China who’d seen Las Vegas would want anything but Las Vegas, and no one with a choice would pick Macau.

Pacquiao was a labor to watch at times, such a labor in fact Pacquiao’s body language afforded Roy Jones his chance to make a first insightful comment in 2013, remarking that Pacquiao appeared to be enduring his work more than whistling through it as Rios did, whistling even as Pacquiao’s fists whistled into every spot on his face. Pacquiao did not look spectacular Saturday. He fought like a talented guy who needs to fight for a paycheck and may have to for a long time yet, conserving his vigor and casting immediate glances the referee’s way soon as Brandon Rios, given the choice to fight every instant or be hurt quite badly by a man many times his better, hit him with a free hand during clinches.

The moment of Pacquiao’s rebuttal to the first incidence of this was probably the match’s most telling, as the Filipino did not remove himself, bounce enthusiastically, slam his gloves together, raise his hands, smile, then leap in the fray with a historic enthusiasm for combat – at all. Pacquiao affixed a grimace on his face and snapped left crosses from his southpaw stance hard as he possibly could, investing every punch with whatever he knows and everything he senses about the physics of leverage, trying to terminate Rios’ effrontery with something ferocious, concussing and spectacular. It was in some sense Pacquiao’s rendition of Floyd Mayweather’s reaction to being butted by Victor Ortiz.

It was the reaction of a man who now feels most every punch and finds himself forced even by an opponent limited as Rios into moments of empathy instead of so much seemly sympathy it once spilled from the corners of his mouth in gentle smiles for what men he stiffened. In his prime, a prime that is now passed, Pacquiao showed such sympathetic joy – “I’m sorry either of us has to go through this but since we agreed one of us did, it’s fantastic to be me and not you!” – an observer sometimes forgot Pacquiao was in a fight at all.

A sense of joy is what one now misses most during a Pacquiao fight; he is a very good and innovative Filipino southpaw, a Manny Pacquiao imitator still better at the act than those whom promoter Top Rank used to stage during Friday casting calls on Pacquiao weekends, but he shows nary the same enthusiasm or novelty. Today Pacquiao fights like taglines for others’ matches, “Revenge!” or “Something to Prove!” or “This Time It’s Personal!”; gone is the otherworldly quality he shone, the awe he felt others experiencing, the awe he too felt in rare moments of autobiographical reflection.

Pacquiao beat up Rios much the way he beat up Antonio Margarito three years ago in a fight friend and colleague Norm Frauenheim quite insightfully suggests was the one that changed Pacquiao’s trajectory – when has he looked sensational since? – and Frauenheim suggests this because he was with a comparatively small cadre of media at the postfight press conference, somewhere underneath Cowboys Stadium an hour after Jerry Jones said good riddance to boxing, when Pacquiao admitted the body shot Margarito touched him with in the sixth changed things: “I’m lucky to have survived that round.”

Rios won as many unanimous rounds against Pacquiao as Margarito did, and if Rios’ orbital bone is still intact unlike Margarito’s it is likely more attributable to Pacquiao’s diminished power than Rios’ defensive mastery, an approach to self-protection that reduced to his hoping to counter the fifth flush shot in a combination, which required hoping his opponent didn’t get bored with striking him after four clean shots – the way Pacquiao did several times Saturday. Rios was typically defiant after losing 11 rounds on sympathetic scorecards, chiding those who predicted Pacquiao would make a heavybag of him moments after Pacquiao made a heavybag of him.

Pacquiao did nothing Saturday against former 140-pound titlist Brandon Rios to make anyone think he might finally beat Floyd Mayweather, a man who had less trouble with 154-pound titlist Saul Alvarez in September. Instead, to make the sort of money he now expects and probably needs, Pacquiao will have to try his luck in a rematch with Timothy Bradley or his chin in a fifth fight with Juan Manuel Marquez, and if either those matches lands in Macau it’s doubtful anyone in Las Vegas will miss it.

Bart Barry can be reached at bart.barrys.email (at) gmail.com

Photos By Chris Farina / Top Rank

LAS VEGAS – The Bellagio Gallery of Fine Arts, a short cab ride from the week’s poorly cooled and hastily erected media tent outside MGM Grand Garden Arena, currently features an exhibition called “Claude Monet: Impressions of Light.” It has its charms, featuring much of Monet’s early work – dash of orange here, square of blue there – but is for the most part unremarkable, save one quote from the Impressionist master: “I allow plenty of faults to show in order to fix my sensations.” Let that guide what follows.

Saturday at MGM Grand, Timothy Bradley decisioned Manny Pacquiao by split scores – 115-113, 115-113 and 113-115 – that infuriated most observers. Bradley, later wheeled into the media center with a foot he may have broken in round 2 and fought on anyway for a half hour, was gracious in victory, promising his vanquished foe an immediate rematch. Pacquiao, face unmarked, was gracious in defeat, reminding those gathered how many blessings boxing bestowed on him. Bradley’s and Pacquiao’s, though, were examples of graciousness ignored by most everyone else.

In a nod to what Monet was after above, there were faults aplenty in the impressions caused by the lights of our beloved sport, Saturday. The judges, unique among those at ringside for being paid to be competent at scoring, determined, collectively, the fight’s result was extraordinarily difficult to discern. Only five of the match’s 12 rounds were seen unanimously for one fighter or the other. If that formed a conspiracy, it was at least a conspiracy degrees more sophisticated than boxing’s usual antics.

My ringside scorecard had Bradley by a point, 116-115. I gave the new champion rounds 2, 6, 7, 11 and 12. I gave Pacquiao rounds 3, 4, 9 and 10. I scored rounds 1, 5 and 8 even. Am I entirely confident of my card’s accuracy? Actually, no. I marked with an asterisk five rounds as either/or affairs, and I scored another three even. But I am certain of my card’s truthfulness – another thing Monet was after. Despite sitting ringside for no fewer than 400 prizefights during my time as a boxing writer, I was not at all sure of what I was seeing Saturday night. Which raises a genuine suspicion for me about the origin of others’ loud certainty.

Three professional judges disagreed seven of 12 times. Reasonable writers at MGM Grand, intelligent men with proven cognitive aptitudes, colored a wide array with their opinions. The only ones sure of their infallibility were a few usual suspects at ringside, compensated for what they know more than what they discover, and the entire HBO pay-per-view audience.

Let that be a commentary on the viewing experience, not the reality, and know better than to demand of ringsiders a review of Saturday’s telecast to find the wrong of their ways. We were there, friends; we know what we saw, and what we saw was the real thing, unfiltered, thanks.

Timothy Bradley did not fight well as even his supporters believed he would need to fight to beat Pacquiao. Hobbled and often unexpectedly reluctant, Bradley followed a questionable counterpunching strategy designed in his camp to preclude him from being the Ricky Hatton-redux Pacquiao prepared for. And Pacquiao, to his credit, fought considerably better than most anticipated he would.

There was a tone of disbelief in the media center at the postfight press conference. Part resulted from having not seen Pacquiao lose in 15 highly visible fights. There was confusion, a product of the result’s unusualness. Pacquiao lost to Marquez by a much wider margin than this in November, the thinking went, and he got that decision. This, therefore, is an outrage.

To score a fight impartially, one must look at the neutral plane between the fighters and follow any punch that enters that plane to its destination. Does anyone do this? No. Scorers select a narrative, often not consciously – “Pacquiao will catch Bradley coming in with those wide punches and beat him down,” say – and look to see it disproved, if they’re scientific, or proved (if they’re human). With few exceptions, Saturday’s fight showed an observer whatever he was looking for. If a scorer believed that Pacquiao, returned to his wildman and free-hurling ways, could hurt Bradley with most any punch he landed, he saw that every time Bradley swung his upper body like a windshield wiper. If a scorer believed that Bradley, quicker of reflex and less relenting than Pacquiao’s recent opponents, could grind the underconditioned Congressman to exhaustion in the championship rounds, he saw that instead.

More observers looked for Pacquiao to win. More observers saw Pacquiao win.

Pacquiao did catch Bradley with left uppercuts, though not nearly as many as he should have with a guy who put his chin on a tee every time he ducked rightwards. And the only time Pacquiao had Bradley in distress was when he flurried crazily with 10 obtusely angled punches, and four or five landed.

Bradley kept his right hand high – no Hatton redux, he – fought Pacquiao off him, held when he had to, and closed stronger than Pacquiao, confirming many prefight worries about the Filipino’s once-vaunted conditioning. Bradley also landed several punches, like a right cross in the fight’s opening 90 seconds, the partisan-Pacquiao crowd took no account of.

Promoter Bob Arum donned his performance garb in the media center afterwards, took an oath – a few oaths really – to ensure a rematch on November 10, and protested mightily the fight’s official outcome. Were this Shakespeare, in fact, Hamlet’s mother would have said Arum protested a bit too much.

Bart Barry can be reached at bart.barrys.email (at) gmail.com

LAS VEGAS –Things did not go according to plan for Manny Pacquiao. He was more aggressive than he had been in years. He threw with abandon, luring his opponent into maniacal exchanges. He fatigued only slightly down the homestretch. And he lost for the first time since 2005.

In an enormous upset whose scorecards will remain hotly debated, Californian Timothy “Desert Storm” Bradley (29-0, 12 KOs) decisioned the Philippines’ Manny Pacquiao (54-4-2, 38 KOs) by scores of 115-113, 115-113 and 113-115, Saturday at MGM Grand, to become recognized as the world’s best welterweight.

The 15rounds.com ringside scorecard concurred, marking 116-115 for Bradley – scoring rounds 1, 5 and 8 even.

While there were almost no rounds that one fighter won clearly on a neutral card – and only five rounds, of 12, were scored unanimously on the official cards – a number of patterns emerged early that appeared destined to favor Pacquiao. Las Vegas judges, long known to reward activity over effectiveness, were expected to see all close rounds for Pacquiao, who was nothing if not the more active fighter.

But Bradley, throughout the fight, landed the cleaner, and usually harder, punches. Most of the Pacquiao punches that brought feral howls from the partisan-Pacquiao crowd were grazing, at best, and clean misses at worst. Neither fighter was dominant. Either fighter might have won all but the final round, and that round, with the fight on the line, was Bradley’s, unanimously.

JORGE ARCE VS. JESUS ROJAS
The match intended to save Saturday’s undercard began well, with a knockdown in the first round, but ended in profound disappointment and ultimately a no-decision caused by an unintentional foul.

Mexican Jorge Arce (60-6-2, 46 KOs) versus Puerto Rican Jesus Rojas (18-1-1, 13 Kos), a 10-round featherweight scrap that started with Arce dropping Rojas in the opening minute, ended at 0:09 of round 2, when Rojas, lunging-in and trapped under Arce’s elbow, threw what became a low blow, and followed it with a crisp right hand behind the left ear of Arce’s turned head.

Arce went straight down, later citing disequilibrium, and remained on the mat for the entirety of what five minutes referee Kenny Bayless allotted for his recovery. The match was declared a no-decision when Arce was unable to continue. Both fighters expressed interest in a rematch afterwards.

MIKE JONES VS. RANDALL BAILEY
Mike Jones came to Las Vegas wearing the IBF welterweight belt and hoping to change people’s minds about what many considered a dull style. He took care of the dull part. But he’ll be going home without his belt.

In Saturday’s most dramatic knockout, Floridian Randall “The Knock-Out King” Bailey (43-7, 37 KOs) stopped Philadelphia’s Jones (26-1, 19 KOs) at 2:52 of round 11.

Jones began the fight in a fashion so timid that boos rained down from the half-full Garden Arena before the bell to end the first round h’d had a chance to clang. Rounds 2, 3, 4 and 5 saw more of the same, as neither Jones nor a man who calls himself “Knock-Out King” engaged one another in even a moment of sustained combat.

In round 6, having landed nary a telling blow between them, Jones and Bailey began to feint at each other – and react to one another’s feints – as though hard punches were somehow on the way. Finally, in round 9, Jones landed a balance-shot right hand that made Bailey appear to stumble, but rather than press his advantage, Jones quickly retreated, hands high, to ensure he didn’t get caught with any of the punches Bailey had not thrown for 26 minutes.

Everything changed at the end of round 10, though, when a perfectly leveraged right cross from Bailey stretched Jones on the blue mat. Jones leaped to his feet in time for the bell to ring and end the round and then came out moving tentatively in the 11th. But it took the “Knock-Out King” only 2 1/2 minutes to find him again, this time with a counter right uppercut that sent Jones, splayed and ruined, to the canvas.

Referee Tony weeks began a 10-count over Jones’ writhing, rising, falling and rolling body but soon saw the futility of it and waved the match off at 2:52 of round 11.

“I just put it in God’s hands,” Bailey said afterwards, choking on tears of joy, “and did what I had to do.”

GUILLERMO RIGONDEAUX VS. TEON KENNEDY
Cuban super bantamweight Guillermo Rigondeaux appears to have every tool except fan-friendliness, and that’s nothing a few knockouts can’t cure.

Rigondeaux (10-0, 8 KOs) took apart Philadelphian Teon Kennedy (17-2-2, 7 KOs) in the first fight of Saturday’s “Pacquiao-Bradley” pay-per-view telecast, dropping him several times with a left cross thrown from his southpaw stance, and eventually causing referee Russell Mora to wave an end to the WBA title match at 1:11 of round 5.

If Rigondeaux can continue blitzing good, if light-hitting, challengers like Kennedy, the Cuban may soon see his following get on track with his evident talent.

UNDERCARD
Doing his best to entertain what Filipino fight fans gathered hours before their hero’s arrival, General Santos City’s Ernie Sanchez (13-3, 5 KOs) decisioned Minnesota featherweight Wilton Hilario (12-3-1, 9 KOs) by scores of 78-74, 78-74 and 79-73. The fight was a lackluster affair that saw uneven contact and bursts of activity from Sanchez followed by long stretches of neither guy chancing anything.

Before that, undefeated Canadian welterweight Mikael Zewski (15-0, 11 KOs) turned an initially tentative affair into a decisive victory, stopping Coloradoan John Ryan Grimaldo (8-2, 5 KOs) at 0:59 of round 3.

Saturday’s second bout saw undefeated California junior welterweight Andrew Ruiz (2-0, 1 KO) stun but not stop Nevadan Taylor Larson (0-3-1) in a four-round match Ruiz won by unanimous scores of 39-36, 40-35 and 39-36.

Highly touted Top Rank prospect Jesse Hart (1-0, 1 KO), a middleweight Philadelphian, made a definitive debut in the evening’s first bout, drilling New Mexico’s Manuel Eastman (0-2) with a right cross that was followed by a few more right crosses, and brought referee Joe Cortez racing in to end Hart’s assault, at 0:33 of round 1.

Saturday’s opening bell echoed through MGM Grand Garden Arena at 3:17 PM local time.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Manny Pacquiao wull relinquish his WBC Super Welterweight championship as his promoter Bob Arum said he wont be fighting in that division anymore.

Pacquiao’s 154-pound title was “declared vacant, following the unanimous voting of the WBC board of governors, due to the inability of the champion to defend his WBC title,” according to a statement from the Mexico-based organization.

Pacquiao had no intention of defending the title, which was vacant when he won it by easily outpointing Antonio Margarito at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

In line to fight for the now-vacant junior middleweight belt are mandatory challenger Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and a contender to be appointed by the WBC.

With each tick of the biological clock, Manny Pacquiao’s boxing career draws one second closer to an end.

In recent years, Freddie Roach always seems to think Pacquiao’s next fight might be his last.

Manny’s mother, Dionisia, said before Saturday night’s fight, that she expected it to be her son’s final bout.

Whenever Pacquiao does call it quits, I imagine it will be abrupt. I imagine him going out on top.

Fortunately for the sport, Pacman says he’s got “two to three” more fight’s left in his dynamite fists.

After disfiguring notorious Mexican, Antonio Margarito, Pacquiao told the media that he still has business to tend to within the ropes.

Roach added to that sentiment, telling AOL’s Fanhouse, that for the rest of Pacquiao’s career, he will not fight below 147 lbs.

With that said, we could seemingly rule out a Pacquiao-Marquez trilogy — seeing how much trouble Marquez had moving up in weight when he faced Floyd Mayweather.

The elusive fight with Mayweather still remains an option for 2011, but Money May apparently would rather tussle with his girlfriend, security guards, or Johnny Law instead of getting in the ring with the Filipino Congressman.

If any of the standouts at junior welterweight moved up to challenge Pacquiao, he’d win with ease. Although, Gary Shaw insists once Tim Bradley downs Devon Alexander in January (which by no means is a foregone conclusion), he’ll be ready to take on Pacquiao. I think otherwise.

Two possible fights for Pacquiao to take next would be a bout against the winner of the rematch between Sergio Martinez and Paul Williams, which takes place this Saturday in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Both men would be present Pacquiao with an overwhelming size disadvantage. Further, they both possess lightning quick hands and thunderous power.

Perhaps it is a fight with Paul Williams that would finally be the fight where Pacquiao bites off more than he can chew. But in order for this fantasy to have a chance at becoming reality, Williams will need to successfully navigate past the crafty Argentinian on Saturday night.

Williams has insisted for the past two and a half years that he can make 147 lbs. whenever he needs to, but hasn’t weighed in for a fight less than 153 lbs. since November of 2008.

If the opportunity presents itself, the man who many consider the number three pound-for-pound boxer in the world, would have to put his money where his mouth is and come down in weight for a shot to knock off boxing’s best.

But unfortunately — besides a fight with Mayweather — the most money probably lies in a Sugar Shane Mosley vs. Pacquiao bout — a fight in which Pacman would surely disassemble the heavy-handed veteran.

The most important thing for fight fans, however, is that we recognize that no good thing lasts forever.

When Pacquiao relinquishes his post as boxing’s best, the torch he carried will not be passed down; there is no heir apparent.

It is for that reason that we should look past the fact that Pacquiao-Mayweather may never come to fruition. Whether you think Pacman’s relentless volume punching would overwhelm the defensive-minded Mayweather, or that Money May’s counterpunching would carry the day, let’s just enjoy what’s left of Pacquiao’s career before it’s over.

Let’s be grateful for the buzz Pacquiao creates around our sport every time he fights. And let’s marvel at the fact that a 5’6” man from Kibawe, Bukidnon, Philippines has steamrolled his way to a record setting eight divisional titles.

Savor the moment while it lasts; I highly doubt there will ever be another eight division champion. And one thing is for sure: there will never be another Manny Pacquiao.

Photo by Chris Farina / Top Rank

Marc Abrams
We always see something new from Pacquiao. Being that Clottey has a strong and is a very good fighter. he will competitive early until he gets stopped with a body shot in round eleven.

Norm Frauenheim
Manny Pacquiao by unanimous decision. It’s hard not to agree with Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach. After all, Roach is on a roll. He predicted Pacqjuiao would stop Miguel Cotto. Pacquiao delivered. He predicted Pacquiao would knock out Ricky Hatton. Pacquiao delivered. Now, he is predicting Pacquiao will be the first fighter to stop Clottey. Sorry, not this time. Durability won’t win this fight for Clottey, whose hard head might be dangerous if it collides with Pacquiao in a bloody butt. But durability will keep Clottey around after the final bell and in the middle of the ring to hear how the judges’ scored 12 rounds.

Natashia Aiello
Paquiao by body shot KO in the 6th

Adam Berlin
Joshua Clottey is the bigger man. He has a strong chin, a super-tight defense and while he’s not a one-punch KO artist, his punches do damage. But Manny Pacquiao is too quick and too smart to be daunted. And with Freddie Roach in Pacquiao’s corner, Joshua Clottey will be fighting two men, not one. (I still don’t understand how Clottey’s team didn’t hire a veteran trainer to help their charge between rounds; it’s unconscionable. Joshua Clottey will be all alone in the Lone Star state.) Clottey will prove PacMan’s toughest test, but in the end Clottey won’t be busy enough and Manny will win by decision.

Rick McKenzie
As good and as dominant as PacMan has been as of late, I still have doubt in my mind that he can continue at this torrid pace of making mince meat out of men. Clottey is truly bigger and will come in the ring 20 pounds heavier…I got Clottey By KO/TKO in the 10th.

George Phillips
I am going to go against the norm and state the Clotty will be the man to dethrone the king, well maybe. Manny is the best pound for pound right now and we all know what he can bring to the ring. He has a trainer in Freddie Roach that can devise a battle plan that would make General Lee jealous. On the flip side of the coin, this is a true welterweight fight and unlike previous fights for PacMan there is no catch weight. Clotty was fighting at 147lbs when Manny was a flyweight. Plus, Clotty will probably be walking into the ring at 160lbs after re-hydration. Clotty will bring a armored tank defense that could frustrate the champion. For Clotty to take advantage of this, he will have to up his punch count and will have to take advantage of Manny’s attack style of boxing to land effective counter punches. Should Clotty not capitalize on his defense then Manny will wear him down after 8 or 9 rounds.

Clotty has never been stopped and I do not see that streak ending. Will Clotty do enough to pull off a decision? Perhaps. A draw could be in the making as well. Look for a great fight well worth the PPV cost.

Anson Wainwright
Over the past few years when Pacquiao fights there seem to be several possible outcomes and Pacquiao has some how managed to do what hardly anybody though he could do. Beat up Oscar, annilate Ricky Hatton and stand toe to toe with Cotto scoring stoppages in each one. While Clottey is a tough skilled guy who has a solid chin, impressive defence it all points to Pacquiao using his speed and picking Clottey off to score a points win but that’s conventional wisdom. I’m looking for Pacquiao to do what very few think he can do and that’s stop Clottey. Pacquiao in the tenth.

Mario Ortega Jr.
Pacquiao UD12 Clottey

Joshua Clottey is a good welterweight, but Manny Pacquiao is a great fighter. Pacquiao will be too quick handed for Clottey to open up out of his shell, and Pacman will win a wide decision. Clottey is too sturdy, and leaves too few openings for Pacquiao to score his fifth consecutive stoppage.

Johnny Schulz
So do I dare pick against pick against Pacquiao? I truly believe that Clottey has much more to offer as a challenge than his past 3 fights. I also know that he has a better chin than his last two for sure. Does the Pacman train continue its steamrolling ways? I believe this is where he gets stopped in his tracks. Not sure when or how, but I smell an upset. Pacman has everything to loose and Clottey everything to gain. All in all great fight. I could totally be off base here but, I dare to go there. -JSizzle

Alejandro Echevarria
Come Saturday night Joshua Clottey will once again step in the ring with the elite of the sport. In Manny Pacquiao, Clottey will be facing one of his most formidable opponents to date and if he wants to be considered one of the elite, he must win. No matter how close he makes this fight, Clottey must win in order to leave behind the stigma of always coming up short on his most important fights.

Only constant and effective pressure from Clottey forcing Pac-man to fight going back will give him the opportunity. If he can’t accomplish this for most of the fight, Pacquiao will dominate with his speed, volume of punches and multiple angles. In the end, the man from the Philippines will outhustle and outwork his opponent to earn a unanimous decision.

Matt Yanofsky
Pacquiao by decision. Pacquiao is far too fast and busy for the
offensively passive Clottey. The latter’s defense and physical strength
should be proficient enough to guide him to the final bell however.

David Winston
Unanimous decision for Pacquiao. Clottey is too defensive a fighter to outpoint the speedy and dynamic PFP champ. Manny will throw twice as many punches as his opponent. The “X Factor” will be Clottey’s obvious physical advantages. Can Pacquiao’s biggest/strongest foe actually hurt him?

Photo by Chris Farina/ Top Rank

Manny Pacquiao 145 3/4 – Joshua Clottey 147

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com Manny Pacquiao won the 2009 fighter of the year and also won the fighter of the deacde award by the Boxing Writers Association of American (BWAA)

Pacquiao, who will be presented with his third Sugar Ray Robinson trophy in the past four years, heads the list of honorees who will be invited to receive their awards on June 11 in New York at the BWAA’s 85th annual banquet.

Freddie Roach, who has trained Pacquiao since 2001 and been an integral part of his success, will receive the Futch award for trainer of the year for the fourth time. He also won it in 2003, 2006 and 2008.

“Manny and I are a great team and to win this award you need a great fighter,” Roach told ESPN.com Sunday. “Hopefully, [junior welterweight titlist] Amir Khan will be my next guy. It’s my favorite award because its named after my trainer [the late Eddie Futch].”

Futch trained Roach during his fighting career before taking him under his wing as an assistant trainer.

“I give Eddie all the credit for where I am today,” Roach said. “He gave me great guidance during my apprenticeship with him.”

Lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez and former titlist Juan Diaz will share the Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier award for fight of the year. Their Feb. 28 all-action slugfest was an instant classic as Marquez went to Diaz’s hometown of Houston and stopped him in the ninth round to retain the title.

Also to be honored by the BWAA:

• ESPN’s Joe Tessitore, the longtime blow-by-blow voice of ESPN2’s “Friday Night Fights,” was selected as the Sam Taub award winner for excellence in broadcast journalism.

• Jerry Izenberg, one of America’s foremost sports columnists for the Newark (N.J). Star-Ledger for almost 60 years, will receive the John F.X. Condon award for long and meritorious service to boxing.

• Alexis Arguello, the Hall of Famer who won world championships in three weight classes, will receive the Marvin Kohn good guy award posthumously. Arguello died in July at age 57.

• Showtime broadcaster Nick Charles, who is fighting a battle with bladder cancer, and former heavyweight contender George Chuvalo, will share the Bill Crawford award for courage in overcoming adversity. Two of Chuvalo’s sons died from drug overdoses and a third son, as well as his first wife, committed suicide, and now he speaks to high school students about drug use.

The Nat Fleischer award for excellence in boxing journalism, the highest award the BWAA presents to one of its members, has not been announced yet. Balloting for the lifetime achievement award is ongoing. It is voted on only by past winners.

Photo by Chris Farina of Top Rank

Manny Pacquiao arriving in Los Angeles for the upcoming press tour to promote his March 13 bout with Joshua Clottey

Photo by Chris Farina / Top Rank