More than eleven months after suffering a one-sided loss at the hands of Floyd Mayweather Jr, Manny Pacquiao finally made his return to the squared circle – and it was against familiar foe, Timothy Bradley, who battled it out with the Filipino sensation in their rubber match this past Saturday. Pacquiao knocked Bradley down in round 7 and again in round 9, before ultimately being awarded a unanimous decision victory where all three official judges scored the contest 116-110 in favor of Manny Pacquiao. The performance was on par with the best Pacquiao has looked since suffering a devastating KO loss at the hands of long time nemesis Juan Manuel Marquez back in late 2012.
Pacquiao looked sharp. He fought at a disciplined and measured pace, but still exhibited the speed, the power, and the explosiveness that have become part of his beloved trademark style. He proved many critics wrong with his strong showing against the much improved Teddy Atlas trained version of Timothy Bradley, who had made many subtle adjustments to his game, correcting some of the minor flaws he has previously displayed, mainly pertaining to balance and positioning. But even against this tactically superior version of Bradley, the aging Pacquiao still proved too much – as he likely would for any opponent south of 150 not named Floyd Mayweather Jr.
After the match Pacquiao announced that this would be his final bout, and that he is focused on pursuing his other endeavors where his political career appears to be a top priority. But should we believe Pacquiao? Is he really retiring for good? Or will the temptation for greater glory and the prospects of making a couple of more multi-million dollar paydays prove too tempting to resist, as it has for many boxers before him? This edition of Rummy’s Corner attempts to explore that question, while giving a brief recap of the rubber match between Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley. To get one man’s worthless take on the situation, please watch and enjoy the video!
