Source: boxingscene.com | By Rick Reeno
MGM Grand, Las Vegas - Timothy Bradley (29-0, 12KOs) shocked the world by winning a close twelve round split decision over Manny Pacquiao (54-4-2, 38KOs) to capture the WBO welterweight title. The scores 115-113 for Pacquiao, 115-113 for Bradley and 115-113 for Bradley.
Bradley started the fight in full control for most of the first round. He was quicker with his defensive movements. Pacquiao started to rally in the final ten seconds. Bradley was making it a rough fight in the second round, but Pacquiao was returning heavy fire that pushed Bradley back often. Bradley, to his credit, was not intimidated and usually countered back with fast combinations. Thing certainly got more heated in the third round, with Pacquiao starting to attack more often and Bradley doing his best to answer back.
In the fourth, the fight continued to get rough. Bradley was taking the fight to Pacquiao, who was outhustling the challenger with more accurate punches. Bradley looked a little stunned by a combination in the final minute. Rather than hold, he stood and traded punches with Pacquiao until the bell. Both fighters had their moments in the fifth round. And they also closed strong by trading punches, toe to toe, in the final minute with the entire crowd on their feet.
Pacquiao controlled the action in the sixth. Bradley came back in the seventh with a lot of defense and he never stopped trading punches with Pacquiao to make it close. More toe toe to toe action in the eight and ninth, with Pacquiao getting the better of the exchanges and doing more damage. They slowed down in the tenth. At this point Pacquiao appeared to be the fresher fighter of the two. Bradley continued to slow down in the eleventh, although Pacquiao wasn't doing too much himself. Bradley certainly closed better than Pacquiao in the final round. Pacquiao was stalking him, looking to land something big, but Bradley was slipping a lot of punches and landing well placed counters.
Bailey, Rigondeaux win title fights on Pacquiao-Bradley undercard
Source: washingtonpost.com
Randall Bailey, trailing on all three ringside scorecards, landed a huge right uppercut to stop Mike Jones in the 11th round Saturday night and win a piece of the 147-pound title.
In another fight, two-time Olympic gold medalist Guillermo Rigondeaux retained his super batamweight title with an impressive performance against Teon Kennedy. Rigondeaux, a Cuban defector now living in Miami, dropped Kennedy five times before the fight was finally stopped at 1:11 of the fifth round.
Early results from Las Vegas
Source: 15rounds.com
Ernie Sanchez (13-3, 5 KOs) decisioned Minnesota featherweight Wilton Hilario (12-3-1, 9 KOs) by scores of 78-74, 78-74 and 79-73.
Undefeated Canadian welterweight Mikael Zewski (15-0, 11 KOs) turned an initially tentative affair into a decisive victory, stopping Coloradoan John Ryan Grimaldo (8-2, 5 KOs) at 0:59 of round 3.
Undefeated California junior welterweight Andrew Ruiz (2-0, 1 KO) stun but not stop Nevadan Taylor Larson (0-3-1) in a four-round match Ruiz won by unanimous scores of 39-36, 40-35 and 39-36.
Highly touted Top Rank prospect Jesse Hart (1-0, 1 KO), a middleweight Philadelphian, made a definitive debut in the evening’s first bout, drilling New Mexico’s Manuel Eastman (0-2) with a right cross that was followed by a few more right crosses, and brought referee Joe Cortez racing in to end Hart’s assault, at 0:33 of round 1.
