How did you score Bradley-Pacquiao I...

...when you watched it with the sound off?

This happened because I decided to watch it again to do some analysis for a bet this weekend, and about a round in I decided I couldn't analyze properly with Jim's obvious fanboy rants blasting out at me. So I muted it, put on some music, and started over.

I scored it 8-4 Bradley (I will post the breakdown).

There are a few reaons for this:

1. Ring generalship. Bradley pretty much had free range of the ring, and he was able to stop Pacquiao from throwing combinations by countering, moving, and using his jab. Additionally, he was the one taking initiative and throwing punches.

2. Defense. Pacquiao was taking punches from Bradley all night. Not hard, damaging punches, but punches. Bradley would occasionally take punches from Pacquiao, but again, not hard, damaging punches. Overall, Bradley took far fewer punches, and the ones he did take tended to glance off or be absorbed by Bradley's rolling head movement. More on that later.

3. Clean, effective punching. Neither guy was effective in the sense of damaging the opponent. However, Bradley was MUCH more effective in terms of dictating the action. By this I mean that in exchanges, it was usually a hard shot by Bradley that ended the exchange. He was effective in keeping Pacquiao honest, and I think he was effective in tiring him out with body shots.

When I watched it the first time I didn't score it. I thought that Bradley was hurt in most rounds, because of the way he was moving. Now I know it was the multiple foot injuries that caused this, but if you didn't catch them you could be forgiven for thinking Pacquiao had scrambled his brains and worn him out. Lots of Pacquiao shots appear to land, but the way Bradley ducks and rolls his head, he not only avoids most of them, but softens the ones that do land. As for activity, any of the rounds I originally gave to Bradley were based on what Pacquiao didn't do. Pacquiao simply didn't fight, and it wasn't because it was too easy, it was because he was tired or cramped up. Or affected by body shots. Or because every time he opened up, he hit air and Bradley hit him.

Overall, I think it was a great gameplan by Bradley, an off night for Pacquiao, and technically an off night for Bradley too. Look at his movement in the Marquez fight and the beginning of the Pacquiao fight, and look at him in the Pacquiao fight after the injuries.

If Bradley can avoid breaking his ankles, I think he DOMINATES Pacquiao this time, unless a Manny shows up that we haven't seen in years.

tl;dr:
Bradley won and will do so again.

 

My RBR, sound turned off:

1: Bradley lands some significant counters and a few straight rights while making Pacquiao miss almost all of his shots. Pacquiao appears to be looking for answers. Bradley appears to be executing his gameplan. Close round, not much landed for either. Gave it to Bradley since he seemed to disrupt Pacquiao's actions (countered him every time he lunged in). Calling it ring generalship and defense since there wasn't much punching.

2: 3 HARD lefts by Pacquiao, then holds. Bradley mad dogs his body with the free right hand. Bradley sends out feeler jabs. HARD jab from Pacquiao catches Bradley. Bradley backs Pacquiao to the ropes with a combination and lands a hard straight right before Pacquiao pivots out. Bradley occasionally backs Pacquiao up with a blocked flurry, while Pacquiao send in some hard shots that Bradley bobs and weaves away from. Bradley is disrupting Pacquiao's combinations with counterpunches, but Manny is blocking them. Bradley lands a jab to end the round. Pacquiao round based on those 3 hard shots at the beginning.

3: Bradley leads with a hard combination, Pacquiao blocks it. They skirmish in the center of the ring, Bradley feeling with jabs, Pacquiao sending long 1-2's, Bradley countering with some success. Hard 1-2 by Pacquiao. Another. Bradley lands some right hooks to head and body while Pacquiao holds. Counter right to the body by Bradley. HARD counter right uppercut to the head by Bradley. Manny attacks with a harder straight left, driving Bradley to the ropes, Bradley evades and holds. Straight left to the body by Pacquiao, Bradley comes back with a 2-3 to the head and evades the counter. Close round, giving to Pacquiao for the harder shots.

4: Bradley ducks inside and lands a hard right, left, and right to the body. Pacquiao counters, Bradley evades and they grapple. Wild exchange, both land some shots to the head and body but no apparent advantage. Pacquiao comes in for another exchange, each miss but Pacquiao lands a nice right hook as they disengage. Bradley catches Pacquiao with a hard right uppercut as they hold. Pacquiao comes back with a left uppercut to the head and body. Bradley returns a flurry to the head that is blocked. Stiff jab by Bradley. Manny opens up with a flurry, some of the punches glance off Bradley's head, Bradley stumbles as he disengages. Pacquiao thinks he's rocked and jumps in with hard shots, Bradley slips them and grabs on. Pacquiao lands 2 hard lefts to the head and an uppercut to the body. Bradley nails him with an overhand right to end the round. Big Pacquiao round, both fighters much more active and willing to trade but Pacquiao getting the better of it.

5: Both fighters land light jabs. Bradley is touching him with some jabs, Pacquiao is not doing much of anything but stalking. With 30 seconds left, Pacquiao opens up, driving Bradley to the ropes. Nothing clean lands, Bradley ties up. Wild exchange as the round ends, Bradley driving Pacquiao back before being turned. Bradley lands a few hard body shots. Bradley has no balance and cannot stand with Pacquiao to trade, even though he is evading the shots and landing his own. Tough to score. Bradley more active, lands more shots, wins more exchanges, but looks like a drunk in there even though he's making Manny miss. Giving it to the drunken/crippled master since balance isn't a scoring criteria.

6: Jab-fencing for the first minute, neither lands. Pacquiao lands a steaight left, Bradly beats him back. They trade jabs. Bradley counters with a few cuffing rights. Pacquiao traps Bradley in a corner and sends out the left uppercut a few times. Bradley is not getting hit, but isn't hitting either. Bradley lands a hook to each side of the body, then a light right uppercut and straight right to the head. Pacquiao lands a left uppercut and a jab. Pacquiao round, harder punches and appears to have Bradley in trouble even when he isn't landing.

7: Bradley backs up Pacquiao with a combination to the head and body. Pacquiao holds on. Bradley sticks him with a straight right to the body. Pacquiao catches him with a right hook to the head, Bradley responds by banging the body with both hands. Hard straight left by Pacquiao. Bradley bobs and weaves under a big combination by Pacquiao, then drives him to the ropes with his own combination. Pacquiao fights back in a wild exchange where both fighters land. Bradley ends it with a big left hook and Pacquiao turns off the ropes. They exchange in the center of the ring and Bradley lands a big right uppercut counter and a clean left hook to the body. Another right uppercut by Bradley, harder this time driving Pacquiao to the ropes. Pacquiao drives him back with a partially-blocked left and a hard jab, then leans on his neck. Long range hook counter by Bradley. Bradley looks tired/discouraged but that was his round based on higher activity and more hard punches, particularly to the body and at the end of exchanges. Manny is either very tired or oblivious to the fact that he's being outworked.

8: Bradley comes out and lands a left hook-left uppercut combo before settling into the familiar routine, peppering Pacquiao with jabs to the head and body that just barely get there, doing no damage but keeping Pacquiao on the outside. They exchange, Pacquiao missing and catching a big left hook counter from Bradley. Pacquiao catches him with a hard straight right after a combination, then drives him to the ropes. Bradley turns him and lands a left hook to the body, right uppercut, and right hook as Pacquiao holds his head. Pacquiao swings back, Bradley loses his balance, Pacquiao follows and pushes his head down. They exchange ineffectively a few times, Pacquiao banging his gloves and smiling as if he thinks he has already won each round and doesn't need to throw punches. Pacquiao seems to be of the impression that if Bradley can't rock him he can't win rounds. Another round goes to Bradley based on workrate and the more effective punches.

9: Bradley lands a straight right to the body and hooks to both sides. Pacquiao laughs it off. Bradley touches him upstairs and down with the jab. Pacquiao lands a left to the body. Pacquiao attacks, Bradley evades and stumbles into the ropes. Pacquiao follows, Bradley evades. Bradley lands a little right uppercut on the inside and a left to the body. Pacquiao lands a right jab, left uppercut, right uppercut. Bradley backs him to the ropes, Pacquiao lands a left hand, Bradley counters with a right, Pacquiao lands a left, Bradley counters with a hook and Pacquiao circles off the ropes. They miss combinations, Pacquiao lands a right jab and a right hook. Bradley lands a straight right and a left uppercut and eats a straight left, then rips a left to the body as he pushes forward and slips punches. Manny seems tired, touching Bradley's gloves with a weak 3 punch combo. Bradley knocks his head back with a right uppercut. Bradley swings a right hook around the guard and a left jab up through. Bradley continues pushing Pacquiao back as Manny misses. Bradley is landing to the head and body and showing impressive punch evasion. Big round for Bradley.

10: Bradley comes out with a body flurry and a right hook gets in. Another body shot and a hard jab through the guard that sends Pacquiao back. Jab gets through for Bradley. Again. Pacquiao is trudging forward, missing the occasional long 1-2. Halfway through the round, Pacquiao lands a jab, his first shot. Then another. Pacquiao hold Bradley's head down and Bradley swings 2 punches up into Pacquiao's face. Bradley swings a hard right around the guard that knocks Pacquiao off balance. Stiff jab up through the guard by Bradley. Straight left misses for Pacquiao, Bradley hits him with a hook. Pacquiao holds, Bradley takes advantage with a right uppercut, right hook combo. Jab by Pacquiao Both miss in a wild exchange to end the round. Another round for Bradley, even though he was stepping in post holes the entire time.

11: Bradley lands a jab to the head and body. Another to the body. Bradley backs him to the ropes with a big right hook to the ribs. Jab lands for Pacquiao. Jab lands for Bradley. And downstairs. They've been playing tag for 2 minutes, even though they both have thrown their power shots all they can land are jabs. Left to the body by Pacquiao and a hard jab, Bradley evades the followup. Counter right hook to the head lands for Bradley. Pacquiao chases him to the ropes, Bradley counters with a sharp straight right. Right hook to the body by Bradley. Round to Bradley based on activity and punches landed.

12: Bradley drives him back with a combo and lands a jab. Drives him back with another combo and Manny lands a jab. Hard right to the body by Bradley. Jab to the body by Bradley. Left to the head by Pacquiao, right to the body by Bradley, right hook by Pacquiao. Jab gets through for Bradley. Again. Pacquiao is following him around the ring, not attempting to cut it off. Bradley is evading combinations and getting out on a jab. Bradley switches southpaw and sticks a right jab. Lead left to the head scores for Pacquiao, and another as they exchange to end the fight. Bradley round, dominated it with the jab and took nothing significant.

 

don't even pretend like you read Obamacare.

Thread says with the sound off, dumbass. :good