LAS VEGAS – If this is indeed Manny Pacquiao’s last fight, then he can leave with his head held high.
Pacquiao knocked down Timothy Bradley twice en route to a comfortable umanimous decision win in front of a packed crowd at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Saturday (Sunday in Manila).
All three judges scored the bout 116-110 for Pacquiao, who decked Bradley in the seventh and nine rounds to put him ahead in what was shaping up to be a close fight.
Pacquiao said he pressed the action this time, something he did not do in his first two encounters with Bradley.
“This fight is different because I was aggressive but also careful," Pacquiao said on the ring afterwards.
"Every round I'm looking for the knockdown," he added.
Bradley actually had a promising start, tagging Pacquiao with combinations in the opening round. At times, he hurt Pacquiao with two-punch combinations.
The early rounds were close, but Pacquiao picked up the pace in the later cantos, culminating with two knockdowns that widened the gap between him and his foe.
Pacquiao sent Bradley down in the seventh round with a short right straight that came at the end of a flurry. He scored another knockdown in the ninth when he clipped Bradley with a short left that capped another combination.
He later praised Bradley for being a tough nut to crack
“He (Bradley) is a very tough fighter and very good counter puncher,” Pacquiao said, adding he fought the best version of the American Saturday night.
Bradley, for his part, lamented the fact that his defense wasn’t good enough this time.
“I walked into some shots,” he said. Bradley later hailed Pacquiao's ring smarts.
"He was super smart tonight," Bradley continued.
With the victory, the Filipino improved to 58-6-2 (38 KOs), while Bradley fell to 33-2-1, to trail in their trilogy.