Undefeated welterweight champion Timothy Bradley continued the stellar start to his career tonight with a 12 round split decision over boxing superstar Manny "Pac Man" Pacquiao to win the WBO Welterweight Championship. The fight was not without controversy though, as many ringside experts felt that, not only did Manny win the fight, he won it easily.
ESPN boxing analyst Dan Rafael scored the fight a clean sweet for Pacquiao, 120-108. The judges at ringside all scored the fight 115-113, with CJ Ross and Duane Ford awarding the fight to the undefeated Bradley. Only Jerry Roth felt Pacquiao did enough to win the fight.
The fight was largely controlled by Pacquiao via his powerful left hand. Bradley struggled to back the stronger Pacquiao off of him throughout the fight due to a lack of punching power and absorbed a number of hard shots, being outlanded almost two to one in the power shot category. Bradley also appeared to injure his right ankle in the fourth round when backing away after a flurry of punches.
Immediately after the fight, Bradley indicated that he felt like the fight was close, but would "have to go home and re-watch it to see if he won". Pacquiao for his part felt like he won the fight clearly, as did the partisan crowd in Las Vegas.
In the aftermath, many fans have pointed to the late money that came in on Bradley that lowered the betting odds as evidence of a potential conspiracy. One Las Vegas Sportsbook saw the odds go from -432 earlier in the week to -397 in favor of Manny by fight time.