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By Cliff Rold - Maybe the bad decision wasn’t so bad after all.
If Manny Pacquiao had received the verdict he appeared to earn in the first bout with Timothy Bradley, we probably still get the epic fourth encounter between Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez. It’s harder to imagine that we still get Bradley-Ruslan Provodnikov or Bradley-Marquez in 2013.
It’s harder still to imagine we wind up where are now. The wins over Provodnikov and Marquez showed grit and guile from Bradley, mostly in that order. They allowed him to continue to grow as a fighter while the world wondered if Pacquiao had begun his recession. As they arrive in the ring on Saturday night, this looks a much more intriguing rematch than anyone would have thought could be the case when boos cascaded on the Bradley-Pacquiao verdict in June 2012.
Both men seek validation of different kinds. Pacquiao wants to show he’s still Manny and make clear who the better man in this rivalry is. Bradley, with a win, validates the place he took from Pacquiao in the Welterweight division. [Click Here To Read More]
If Manny Pacquiao had received the verdict he appeared to earn in the first bout with Timothy Bradley, we probably still get the epic fourth encounter between Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez. It’s harder to imagine that we still get Bradley-Ruslan Provodnikov or Bradley-Marquez in 2013.
It’s harder still to imagine we wind up where are now. The wins over Provodnikov and Marquez showed grit and guile from Bradley, mostly in that order. They allowed him to continue to grow as a fighter while the world wondered if Pacquiao had begun his recession. As they arrive in the ring on Saturday night, this looks a much more intriguing rematch than anyone would have thought could be the case when boos cascaded on the Bradley-Pacquiao verdict in June 2012.
Both men seek validation of different kinds. Pacquiao wants to show he’s still Manny and make clear who the better man in this rivalry is. Bradley, with a win, validates the place he took from Pacquiao in the Welterweight division. [Click Here To Read More]
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