Pacquiao knocks down Bradley twice, wins via UD

(UPDATED) In what may be the last fight of his storied boxing career, Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao put on an entertaining show, as he knocked down Timothy Bradley Jr. twice en route to a unanimous decision victory at the MGM Grand Garden Arena Saturday in Las Vegas (Sunday in Manila).

The three judges scored the bout 116-110 across the board for Pacquiao, who overcame a slow start and clinched the victory with knockdowns in the seventh and ninth rounds.

The win gave the "Pacman" the WBO international welterweight championship.

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After a slow first round wherein both boxers appeared to be gauging each other, Pacquiao grew stronger as the fight went on, and then took over in the second half of the match en route to the 58th – and last – victory over his legendary career.

After his win, he basked in the adoration of a mostly pro-Pacquiao crowd, who repeatedly chanted his name over the course of the 12-round encounter.

"Physically, if you ask me, I'm still okay, I can still fight," Pacquiao said afterward. "But I made my decision to go back to the Philippines and help the people, and spend time with my family."

If he sticks to his word and steps away from the ring for good, Pacquiao – who is running for a seat in the senate – will retire with a record of 58 wins, six losses, and two draws, with 38 wins coming by way of knockout.

He now holds a 2-1 record over Bradley, having lost to the American in controversial fashion during their first bout in June 2012, but winning the subsequent two bouts in very decisive fashion.

Two knock downs for Pacquiao

It was a close fight in the first six rounds, with Bradley fighting in a disciplined style and keeping Pacquiao off with his jab while repeatedly looking for an opening to land a huge right hand.

However, Pacquiao repeatedly evaded Bradley's wild swings, and in the seventh round, he landed the first definitive punch of the fight with a short right hand that forced the American boxer to touch both gloves to the mat.

It was the first knockdown in the three-fight saga between Pacquiao and Bradley.

Bradley survived the count, and Pacquiao tried to go for the kill in the final seconds. The American boxer survived the round, however, and came back with an impressive effort in the eighth round. Bradley arguably won the round, scoring with a huge flurry that pushed the "Pacman" into the ropes and had him sidestepping to avoid Bradley's punches.

Looking to build on his huge eighth round, Bradley came out aggressive in the ninth, but unfortunately for the American, it only worked to his disadvantage. With Bradley looking to come in with a right hand, Pacquiao landed a counter-left hand straight to the American's face, sending him tumbling down on the canvas.

"This was different from the last two fights, because I'm looking for a knockout in every round," Pacquiao said after the fight.

A desperate Bradley became even more aggressive in the final three rounds, but his swings mostly hit air or were blocked by Pacquiao. In the 12th, with the victory at hand, Pacquiao stood toe-to-toe with his foe and exchanged punches – and again, he got the better of Bradley who got tangled on the ropes seconds before the final bell rang.

"He's a tough opponent," Pacquiao said of Bradley. "He survived the 12 rounds. But I'm not careless. I'm not doing careless (things) in the ring. (I used) the counter punch, the uppercut and the straight, and that was my plan even in training."

Pacquiao added that Bradley greatly improved since the last time they fought, thanks in part to the guidance of new trainer Teddy Atlas.

"Oh yeah, he's different than in the last two fights we had. He improved, that's why it was hard to catch him," he said.

Fight statistics later showed that Pacquiao was the busier fighter, throwing 439 punches, while Bradley threw only 302. Bradley connected on 99 punches for a 33% rate, while Pacquiao connected on 122 punches for a 28% percentage.

'On-point'

Bradley, who had some strong moments in the early goings, was visibly disappointed with the result and even admitted that the situation "doesn't seem real."

"I barely remember the fight," he said. "It sucks. I did my best out there, and that's all you can do sometimes. I gotta go back to the drawing board and start over."

Both of Bradley's two losses in his career have been inflicted by Pacquiao, and the American said the "Pacman" was simply "on point" during their showdown.

"He just fought a great fight," Bradley said. "He's strong, and he's explosive. He was good, he was great. He was on point tonight."

"I fought my game plan, but he was just on point tonight. He was faster, he was quicker, he was stronger. He did everything right, and he did what he had to do to get the victory."

Bradley now has a record of 33 wins, two losses, and one draw, with 13 wins by knockout.

(For more sports coverage, visit the ABS-CBN Sports website.)