Manny falls 10 seconds short of a KO

LAS VEGAS – Manny Pacquiao had Timothy Bradley all figured out in their 12-round fight for the vacant WBO International welterweight title at the MGM Grand Garden Arena here Saturday night (yesterday morning, Manila time) and if there were 10 more seconds left in the final canto, the outcome would’ve been a knockout, not a decision.

Pacquiao himself called it. “He (Bradley) was ready to go,” said Pacquiao in the dressing room. “The ropes held him up. If I had 10 more seconds, it would’ve been a knockout. He tried to counter me like (Juan Manuel) Marquez, waiting for my left so he could throw a right. But I knew what he wanted to do. So I kept feinting and he didn’t know what to do.”

Bradley kept adjusting tactics throughout the fight, trying to find a way to penetrate Pacquiao’s defense. Trainer Teddy Atlas, known as a strategist, was clearly behind the adjustments. In between rounds, when things didn’t work out, Atlas berated Bradley. Like a teacher whose student wouldn’t listen, Atlas was exasperated. Bradley just couldn’t execute. And if Atlas was frustrated, what more Bradley who did the fighting in the ring against a 37-year-old veteran acting like the dervish he was a decade ago.

At first, Bradley boxed from a distance, circling away from Pacquiao’s left. Pacquiao tried to chase him down but couldn’t find his timing at the onset. Bradley made Pacquiao miss more than he landed in the first round. Compubox stats showed Pacquiao connected only 6 of 33 punches in the opening stanza compared to Bradley’s 4 of 19. But Pacquiao established the trend of the fight early – he would be the aggressor, the busier fighter.

In their first two fights, Bradley threw more punches but was less accurate. He was the volume puncher. What Pacquiao lacked in quantity, he made up in quality. In the first bout, Bradley threw 839 blows to Pacquiao’s 751. In the rematch, Bradley unleashed 627 and Pacquiao, 563. In last Saturday’s rubber match, Pacquiao unloaded 439 to Bradley’s 302, reversing the trend.

Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach was pleased with the performance. “Manny was aggressive,” he said. “Bradley just couldn’t handle his speed and power. Manny did exactly what we prepared for. Whatever Bradley tried to do, Manny was ready.”

Pacquiao finished with a pair of slight red blotches under his left eye and a bruise under his right eye. Otherwise, he was unmarked. Bradley, however, had his moments even if they were few and far between. In the eighth round, he cracked a left on Pacquiao’s jaw and the Filipino backtracked against the ropes to cover up. Bradley attacked furiously but Pacquiao deftly slipped away, avoiding a delicate situation. That was the only round which all three judges unanimously awarded to Bradley.

Pacquiao was in excellent condition and could’ve gone a few more rounds. In the closing minutes, he displayed his trademark move of throwing a left while moving to the right ducking under Bradley’s defense. Bradley couldn’t cope with Pacquiao’s hand and footspeed.

In the seventh round, Pacquiao sneaked in a short that found Bradley’s jaw. Bradley’s head shook and he went down briefly. Referee Tony Weeks gave a mandatory eight-count. Bradley took another fall in the ninth. A left to the face toppled Bradley over, causing him to somersault. In two previous encounters, Pacquiao had never decked Bradley.

Mexican TV commentator and former WBC secretary-general Eduardo Lamazon said Pacquiao looked like the Pacquiao of old. “He was exciting and aggressive, like he was years ago,” said Lamazon. “Bradley couldn’t do anything against him.”

Pacquiao got a congratulatory kiss from wife Jinkee in the dressing room as relatives and friends applauded. Dr. Neal ElAttrache, who performed shoulder surgery on Pacquiao last year, was on hand to celebrate with probably his most famous patient.

“I was nervous,” said Jinkee. “I would look down, up, down, up. Even when Manny scored those knockdowns, I couldn’t be sure. I’m just so happy for Manny.” Pacquiao’s sons Jimuel and Michael kissed their father twice on the cheeks. Others in the dressing room included Ilocos Sur Gov. Chavit Singson, Dr. Neil ElAttrache who performed shoulder injury on Pacquiao last year, marketing executive Lucia McKelvey, lawyer Romy Macalintal, adviser Michael Koncz, matchmaker Sean Gibbons, executive assistant David Sisson, Jayke Joson, Edward Lura and Joe Ramos.

Pacquiao posed for a posterity shot with his close-in boxing team made up of Roach, strength and conditioning coach Justin Fortune, Buboy Fernandez and Roach’s assistant Marvin Somodio who wrapped his hands before the fight.