Boxing has Become a Pathetic Sport

In what was one of the worst decisions in boxing history, Timothy Bradley defeated Manny Pacquiao last night in Las Vegas.  Two of the three judges gave Bradley the narrow victory, one that should have an asterisk by it when historians look back at the bout.

Manny Pacquiao dominated the fight, outboxing Bradley, landing quite a few more power shots, and was the aggressor throughout the bout.  Pacman fought a strategic fight, and even finished just about every round by throwing a flurry of punches, which is the way you generally impress the judges and win rounds in boxing.

Just about everyone including Pacquiao was shocked by the decision.  Even Bradley knew that he had lost the fight, he told Top Rank Promoter Bob Arum after the bout, "I tried hard but I couldn't beat the guy."  Bradley's post fight comments were irrelevant because the judges, who should quit their day jobs, gave him the shocking split decision.

The horrible decision will just add to the decline of boxing.  How can a boxing fan take the sport seriously if the outcome to a fight is predetermined?  If I wanted to watch a fixed sport, then I would watch wrestling.  This just solidifies the inevitable fact that boxing is a sport that is on a down ward spiral, and constantly losing its credibility.

MMA is a tremendous sport that has been overshadowing boxing for quite some time now, and for obvious reasons.  It is a shame that Manny Pacquiao had his remarkable winning streak end at 15 consecutive fights because of a terrible decision.  His last loss came in 2005 to Erik Morales.  The ones who were cheated the most were the fans.  Pacquiao's loss to Bradley will surely be another set back in orchestrating a future mega bout between himself and Floyd Mayweather.

Manny Pacquiao and boxing fans deserve better.  There have always been questionable decisions, it is part of the game.  Boxing used to be one of the most popular sports.  Those days are long behind us, as it may be still fun to watch, but has lost its foundation, and most of all, respect.