Blog: Pacquiao knocks down Bradley twice, wins unanimous decision

By Case Keefer (contact)

Published Saturday, April 9, 2016 | 7:30 p.m.

Updated Saturday, April 9, 2016 | 10:10 p.m.

Timothy Bradley re-watched the two knockdowns he suffered against Manny Pacquiao minutes after their fight concluded Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Bradley immediately disputed the first, contending he was off balance and slipped. He couldn’t say much about the second.

“He caught me good on that,” Bradley said.

There was no protest in the aftermath of the trilogy bout between two of boxing’s top welterweights, as Pacquiao used seventh- and ninth-round knockdowns to claim a unanimous decision (116-110, 116-110, 116-110) over Bradley.

Pacquiao won six of the final eight rounds in the 12-round bout on every scorecard to pull away from Bradley in what he maintained would be his last fight.

“I’m going to go home and spend time with my family,” Pacquiao said. “I want to serve my country.”

Pacquiao is running for a seat in his native Philippines’ Senate, a position that would require him to begin in July and possibly leave him without enough time to continue training. That would make his fans, which cheered loudly when the prospects of a fight with Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and rematch with Floyd Mayweather were mentioned, disappointed. His trainer might feel the same way.

Hall of Fame Trainer Freddie Roach reiterated after the Bradley victory that the 37-year-old Pacquiao has more left to give.

“If Manny wants to continue fighting,” Roach said, “I’ll let him go.”

It’s hard for many to believe a fighter would walk away after a win so decisive. Once Pacquiao shook off some early tentativeness, he soared past Bradley.

He had a huge moment late in the seventh round when Bradley fell to his knees following a Pacquiao right hand. Bradley recovered and threw everything he had in the eighth to win the frame on all three judges’ scorecards.

But Pacquiao served some finality in the ninth when he rocked Bradley and sent him tumbling to the canvas. It was the only completely clean knockdown in any of the three matches between the fighters.

Bradley infamously defeated Pacquiao via controversial split decision in 2012, before Pacquiao got vengeance two years ago. But Pacquiao was never as dominant in the second fight as he was late Saturday riding the two knockdowns.

“This fight is different than the last two fights because I was aggressive this time and at the same time careful,” Pacquiao said.

Check below for live round by round updates from Pacquiao vs. Bradley III, and come back later for full coverage.

Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley have spoken so highly of each other over the last week that it was easy to forget they were going to fight.

Those inside the MGM Grand Garden Arena seem to have remembered in time. Boxing’s most revered venue is packed as fans prepare to watch two of the best welterweights in the world settle a score that’s remained even for almost exactly two years.

Pacquiao and Bradley should enter the ring for their trilogy bout within the next hour.

They both appear to be coming in with significantly less annoyance than they felt towards each other four years ago when they fought the first time. Their June 2012 meeting stands as one of the most controversial moments in boxing history, with the judges awarding Bradley a split-decision victory in a fight most thought Pacquiao controlled with ease.

The normally reserved Pacquiao lambasted the decision that night, while Bradley didn’t come away much happier despite the victory. He was bothered by constantly having to defend himself against the many who argued Pacquiao won.

Pacquiao regained the WBO welterweight title he lost that night two years later, in April 2014, with a vengeance-fueled unanimous-decision over Bradley. The second fight, in the eyes of many, was closer than the first but Pacquiao won comfortably on the scorecards.

The two unexpected rivals find themselves in the same venue fighting for the same title, the WBO strap again, as the first pair of meetings tonight. Their results since last fighting each other have been mixed.

Pacquiao defeated Chris Algieri but then lost to Floyd Mayweather, sacrificing his WBO belt. Bradley had a controversial draw against Diego Chaves, but went on to rout Jessie Vargas and Brandon Rios.

The Rios victory was emphatic, coming via ninth-round TKO, in Bradley’s first bout under decorated trainer Teddy Atlas. Pacquiao has his own elite advisor in Freddie Roach, who has coached the Filipino superstar for more than a decade now.

The boxers might not have any animosity, but don’t expect them to be at any less than their best when they face off for a third time shortly.

Follow along with the Sun’s round-by-round live blog of the fight and come back all night for full coverage.

Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.