GMA News Online Opinion

Your Say: Pacquiao did not do enough to win

June 11, 2012 6:57pm

The vast majority of boxing fans believe Manny Pacquiao should have been declared the winner in his fight against Timothy Bradley Jr. last weekend.

A vocal minority, however, are arguing that Bradley deserved the title more.

Here's what some netizens have said in our Disqus comments system regarding the controversial 12-round bout:

From Brando Nazario, who thinks Pacquiao did not exert enough effort to win:

Perception is different from the subtle aspects of the sport. Although Pacquiao landed the better quality shots that sent Bradley to the brink of falling several times, in the eyes of the judges, Pacquiao did not do enough to win the fight. Pacquiao was not as aggressive as his usual self. Maybe he was contented knowing there was no way Bradley could hurt or defeat him. His punches lacked his patented strength. His relentless performance was not evident. He just waited for Bradley to come and hoped he could land his haymakers, but astonishingly, Bradley just absorbed them, which was proof his punches had lost their deadly sting. Maybe he under-trained. He looked fat & heavy when he came into the ring. The last four rounds did it for Bradley. Pacquaio lost steam and Bradley continued to push the fight. Or was he not conditioned enough, as Ariza came back very late to have any impact?

Bitter as it may be, Pacquiao should learn from defeat. If If he wants to regain his stature, he should return to the old Pacquiao: hungry, eager, out to prove something, disciplined, focused, fierce, everything that he was. Otherwise, the alternative is losing to less worthy opponents or eventually, retirement.

Bradley, despite not showing any brilliance, showed gallantry and tenacity in pushing the fight. He was more fit & focused, he worked harder. He was rewarded.

Manny knows what he needs to do next time.

From pinoypower, who thinks boxing is in decline due to other fighting sports such as mixed martial arts.

Boxing is fast losing against other fight sports like mixed martial arts and wrestling. The judges of Pacquiao-Bradley fight have just accelerated this decline. Anyway, win or lose, Manny should now retire. He no longer has the same devastating power punches.

From efriend, who thinks Pacquiao must now feel how it is to be wrongfully judged, parallel to the plight of LGBT's.

In the hearts and minds of people in Manila, Las Vegas, Dubai, or Tokyo, Pacman won this boxing match. However, the judges thought otherwise.

While the LGBT community is not celebrating the defeat, this will certainly be a lesson in life for Pacman that there is pain when others are judged wrongfully.

From AlwaysABoxingFan, who thinks Bradley deserves credit for overcoming Pacquiao despite his foot injury:

Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. There has always been controversy in boxing. Anyone remember the decision in the Pacquiao-Marquez or the Mayweather-Ortiz fight? It happens. Let's hope that Manny learns from this bout and comes back to do the sport justice by giving fans what they want in a fighter of his caliber. A victory is a victory. Although some people may not be happy about the decision, the decision was made and Bradley won. He should be congratulated for continuing to fight with an injury to his foot and not just giving up. He is the champion and deserves to defend his legacy as much as Pacquiao does.

From Gilbert, who seems to have lost his faith in the sport after ESPN2 commentator Teddy Atlas insinuated that the judges might have been corrupt:

"Boxing is a corrupt sport," said Atlas bluntly, while reporting on location for ESPN. "Sometimes the judges are incompetent, sometimes they're more than incompetent, they're corrupt." Parang ayaw ko na maniwala sa boxing.

From retxed_v, who wonders whether Pacquiao could have been in on a fixed match:

Well Manny has what it takes to take the judges out of the picture by knocking Bradley out, but he was up to the task this time around. Is he also part of the corruption? Not taking part as in personally joining the planning and everything but as it is written in the Bible, if you stand idly and you know that something wrong is happening around you and yet you do nothing you are as bad as the actual person doing the wrong thing.

From johnsonpadilla, who is not only dismayed by Pacquiao's loss, but also by the Boston Celtics' defeat to the Miami Heat in the NBA's Eastern Conference finals:

Being a fan, today, I lost twice. While watching the whole line-up of fights, I also switched to the NBA playoffs between Celtics and Heat shown at the same time. Manny lost, so did the Celtics. As a fan, did it affect me to the point of being sad and angry? No, I am not affected because I always ask myself, what am I getting from them winning or losing except if I bet money on them? Really nothing, and in the case of Manny Pacquiao, it is about the country's honor which he already achieved. In boxing, they will reach their prime and will fade as they grow older so it is not a surprise if one day he too will lose his magic.

Let us not be carried away and wait for the rematch. If he will be able to redeem himself then he still has it but if he loses again, then it is time for him to retire and start doing all that he is doing now aside from boxing which I am sure has distracted him from keeping in shape.

From aaaverilla, who thinks the Filipino boxing champ is now past his prime:

Manny Pacquiao is not the same Manny Pacquiao of old. Now, he is an old Manny Pacquiao. In his younger years, Pacquiao definitely could have easily finished Bradley after making him wobbly from round 2 to 6. And he would even finish the last rounds of his fights, fast and strong. The youthful zip, power, and crunch from his punches are not there anymore. It is now high time for Pacquiao to retire.

Pacquiao said that last March 2012, he had a dream that the Almighty Lord spoke to him wanting him to retire. If he is truly religious as he now claims to be, then he should follow the Lord's directive for him to retire.

If God is with you, then who could win against you? Obviously in this fight, Manny can't rightfully claim the same.

It's all about money. The boxing mafia wanted these results so that they could make more money from Pacquiao's fights.

Better for Pacquiao to retire, unless he is courting the ire of God and acquire terminal illnesses brought about by boxing.

He is a living legend, a living hero of the sports and martial arts of boxing. He has done great deeds inspiring people and propagating the sport. He should now hang his gloves and relegate himself to history. He should not allow himself to be enslaved by money for that is not what the Lord wants him to be.

Mabuhay ka, Manny Pacquiao! Make yourself a living testament to the will of God, nothing more!

From pidrow, who thinks Bradley cleverly outclassed a champion:

Sure, Manny connects more solid punches than Bradley and he should have won if only for that. But I really give credit to Bradley the way he handles the fight because he is smart and did not fall prey to the tactics of the brawler Pacquiao. He was able to connect clean jabs and punches as he moves away from Manny's rapid fire. He's cool to watch outmaneuvering a champion. Boxing as an art, Bradley really won that fight!

From Robby, who is disappointed at how boxing has supposedly turned to pure business:

I can simply say that boxing is business nowadays. I felt surprised about Bradley bragging a second match prior to the main event. This was actually a factor why would it need to have a rematch, according to some American fans, they could now relate the boxing to WWF, all scripted. And the judges who gave in favor for Bradley were all in their senesence period, 70 y.o. judges?? The whole world knows Manny won the fight, pero ilang pinoy lang ang kumukutya kay Manny ngayon sa tulong isang network.. tamaan ang guilty!

Braveheart3 offers a comedic quip:

Headline: Crime victim Manny Pacquiao: Worst robbery in Las Vegas since "Oceans 11"

From mcalleyboy, who thinks Pacquiao should retire if he would rather build up his political career:

Manny has so many things on his plate: congressman, game show host, singer, religion. It's hard to excel in all areas at once. I do think he will run for president so maybe he should now concentrate his efforts in Congress.

What's your say? Let us know below.

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