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| Bradley’s feet weren’t working properly after Saturday night’s fight. (Getty) |
As bad of a decision as Manny Pacquiao seemed to receive at the hands of Timothy Bradley -- and, more importantly, the judges -- during Saturday night’s pay-per-view extravaganza, somehow losing a split decision, that shouldn’t take away what Bradley accomplished.
While he’s not well-known to the casual fan, Bradley has built a standout record (now 29-0), vanquishing Junior Witter in Witter’s home county of England, Joel Casamayor, Devon Alexander and Lamont Peterson. And while he faced criticism for declining a bout with Amir Khan (in essence, he was gambling that he could land a much-richer Pacquiao fight), Bradley proved his toughness Saturday night.
Not by “beating” Pacquiao per say. But by lasting through a 12-round fight with injuries to both feet. As ESPN’s Dan Rafael is reporting, Bradley fought through most of the 12-round fight with a fractured left foot and a twisted right ankle.
After the match, Bradley attended the post-fight presser in a wheelchair, and he said he felt his left foot snap in the second round and that he hurt his ankle in the fifth.
“I went back to the corner after the second and I said, 'Coach, I think I broke my ankle,’” Bradley said, via Yahoo Sports.
Responded his trainer, Joel Diaz: “You have two options. Either I’ll stop the fight now and you’ll suck it up and fight like a warrior.”
Bradley decided to press on. "I wasn't quitting. This was Manny Pacquiao.”
While Bradley won’t necessarily get the credit for beating Pacquiao -- mostly because the decision reeked so badly -- but he deserves the accolades for actually lasting long enough in the ring with Pacquiao to get that tainted decision. On two bad legs against one of the best fighters in a generation, that’s no small feat.
You can follow Josh Katzowitz on Twitter here: @joshkatzowitz.
