Manny Pacquiao Lost: Bob Arum to Blame for Pacman's Defeat

In maybe the most shocking boxing decision of all time, Manny Pacquiao is no longer a one-loss fighter, after losing to Timothy Bradley in a split decision Saturday night at the MGM Grand.

Pacquiao controlled the fight from beginning to end, and even HBO's own Harold Lederman scored the card 119-109 in favor of Pacman.

But the judges didn't see it that way, and now, Timothy Bradley stands to make a lot of money from a rematch with Pacquiao that could quickly turn into a three-fight rumble before it's all said and done. Bradley is the new champion, and Pacquiao will have to fight again, at least once, before he can face Floyd Mayweather in the most anticipated fight of the last two decades.

In the middle of it all is Bob Arum, secretly smiling inside because his company, Top Rank, and the rest of his promotion business stands to pull considerable profits for whatever matches Pacman now decides to undertake off this loss.

Simply put, this was historic.

Although Bradley was more heavily expected to compete with Pacquiao than many of his previous opponents, most viewers at home who watched the fight didn't have seven of the 12 rounds in Bradley's favor.

Pacquiao pounded on Bradley during the first few rounds, throwing his left straight with ease and backing Bradley away from his strategy of opening Pacquiao up in the early going. Pacman forced Bradley to get inside the clinch several times, most notably in the middle of Rounds 3 and 4 when Pacquiao started to unleash a fury of punches on his opponent.

Bradley even had an ankle injury in the fourth round, shown on the replay cameras, that certainly affected his range of motion and ability to dodge the straight left that Manny was able to land most of the night.

However, give Bradley credit for hanging around and not letting Pacquiao finish him off. The judges likely gave Bradley most of the last six rounds, simply because he fought Pacquiao off and landed more punches in the later rounds.

When the results were announced in favor of Bradley, you can't help but think promoter Arum has something to gain here, since both fighters are under the wing of his umbrella at Top Rank.

Arum is even on record as saying he wouldn't be surprised if Bradley was able to pull off the 5-1 upset the day before the fight, citing his personality and drive as realistic qualities that could knock Pacman from the throne.

What other conclusions can be drawn from this decision, other than the lack of experience from the title fight judges and the foot in both camps nature of Arum, who has built his boxing empire on the wings of the greatest fighters for over 20 years.

It's time Pacquiao understood where and what the basis of his historic run is coming from. He's one of the most recognizable athletes in the world, and that means more green every time he steps into the ring.

Now, with a rematch with Bradley certainly in the works (once, maybe twice) and the ever-popular dream of Pacquiao-Mayweather certainly dead until this matter is settled, and Mayweather is out of prison, Bob Arum will return to his Top Rank to plot his next promotion.

Pacquiao-Bradley 2 is what they'll call it, but should we really even watch?