Last night, Las Vegas hosted the re-match between Philippino superstar Manny Pacquiao and his nemesis Timothy Bradley. As expected, it was a high skill, tactical battle, however it the match did not turn into a coronation for Bradley but was more of a redemption and a return to the top for Pac-Man. Bradley showed his skill at times and won a handful of rounds, but he seemed to slow as the fight went on while Pacquiao was able to maintain the same blistering pace. It will be interesting to see what will be next for the iconic Manny, and for Bradley as well.
Pacquiao is in an interesting position. Many thought a Bradley win might send him into retirement, but instead he has come out better than he has in years. He decisively beat a man 5 years younger who undeniably was at his prime in terms of physical condition. Pacquiao made Bradley miss more and more as the fight went on, and when he did land, it was clear that he was not strong enough to really hurt Pac-man.
Bradley is left to absorb his first loss as a professional, and it comes at a bad time for him. It has been hard for him to get the attention he has gotten, and a win over Pacquiao (again) could have propelled him to the next level. He now must re-assess where he goes from here. A trilogy with Pacquiao is unlikely right away, as Pacquiao will likely be looking to get a mega-fight without Bradley.
And that mega-fight would be Floyd Mayweather Jr. Of course, Floyd is set to perform in May, but should he win, the long awaited and much jinxed Mayweather-Pacquiao match is likely going to be the biggest payday available to both men, and that could be enough to get it done.
But there is an interesting scenario that could further delay the match. Could Mayweather have seen a beatable fighter in Bradley? If Mayweather thinks he could get by Bradley, he may leave Manny waiting at the table again. Though promoter Bob Arum may talk about and even earnestly try to set up 5th duel for Pacquiao with Juan Manuel Marquez, PAcquiao will likely wait through 1-2 more MAyweather fights in hope of scring that big payday.
