General Admission
WBO insults itself some more, Bradley, too
By Al S. Mendoza
THE nightmare that was the Manny Pacquiao loss will haunt us, seemingly forever.
It’s been two weeks now since Timothy Bradley was allowed to steal the WBO world welterweight (147 lb) crown of Pacquiao on June 10 (Manila Time).
I say allowed because that, for me, is the aptest word to describe the highway robbery in Las Vegas, Nevada.
With their damnable act of making Pacquiao the loser, the two judges allowed Bradley to wallow in illusions of grandeur.
That is a most detestable act that, sad to say, can only happen in boxing.
How many times have I said here that, as the late, lamented Jimmy Cannon said, “Boxing is the red light district of sports.”
In a more specific description, boxing is the prostitution alley of sports.
Anything is possible here. Everything can be arranged here. Nothing is impossible here.
And so, the recent shameful scam in Vegas just won’t go away.
Again, it’s become like a virtual old song whose refrain keeps humming in our mind, in my mind.
The question that keeps bugging all of us is: How can two judges give the fight to a fighter who didn’t fight enough to dethrone the champ?
Bradley didn’t do much to merit victory by split decision.
The two pro-Bradley referees knew that.
Bradley knew that.
The world knew that.
And yet, it happened. Pacquiao, the much better fighter, was the loser.
Judges Duane Ford and CJ Ross gave similar 115-113 scores to Bradley. Meaning they saw Bradley winning by seven rounds, losing five rounds.
Only judge Jerry Roth made sense, giving the fight to Pacquiao by 115-113. That was also my score, which I call generous enough as I gave Bradley five rounds, too – gifting the American the last four rounds (I gave him the second round).
No way Bradley could have won. He didn’t even land a single telling blow, or stun Pacquiao a bit.
And now, look at this: Five judges appointed by the WBO gave Pacquiao a unanimous decision verdict after watching the replay of the fight.
As if it still mattered.
If at all, it only muddled the already muddled situation.
The verdict of a Bradley victory can no longer be reversed. Not even the Supreme Court of the US can overturn it.
So, what was the point of the WBO?
It achieved only one thing not even deserving of mentioning: Insult Bradley. And, by insulting Bradley, the WBO, in effect, insulted itself.
Isn’t Bradley WBO property?
Pathetic.
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