Timothy Bradley: Manny Pacquiao Must Be Desert Storm's Next Opponent

Timothy "Desert Storm" Bradley scored a controversial split decision victory over Manny Pacquiao to win the WBO Welterweight title by a score of 115-113, 113-115, 115-113.

In a bout that seemed so clearly dominated by Pacquiao, the judges' final decision came as a shock to the crowd, the ringside commentators and the people watching it home. Bradley couldn't get much done throughout the entire fight, and found himself retreating from Pacquiao's thunderous flurries over and over.

Usually the media would start to question who Bradley will fight next, but since such an unsatisfying ending has been met in such a hyped-up fight, that question doesn't need to be asked. It doesn't need to be asked because we already know that Bradley and Pacquiao must schedule a rematch to determine who really is the better fighter.

Nobody else makes sense for Bradley to fight. With this win over Pacquiao, he'll surely take a huge leap in the pound-for-pound rankings, so there's no need to waste his time on a lesser fighter.

He's not going to fight Devon Alexander again. Not after Bradley head butted Alexander in Round 3 of their fight in January 2011, leading to a stoppage in the later rounds. We don't need to witness that same song and dance again.

He's not going to fight Andre Berto, the No. 2 ranked welterweight fighter in the world. Bradley just beat a man who was ranked as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet, if not the best. 

Bradley definitely won't be getting a match against Floyd Mayweather, unless Mayweather decides he wants to get under Pacquiao's skin by fighting the man that beat him. It could be one of those "Bradley beat Pacquiao and I destroyed Bradley, so I never have to fight Pacquiao" kind of things.

That leaves Manny Pacquiao as the only logical choice to be Bradley's next opponent. The two fighters were preparing for a rematch before this fight even started. If that doesn't convince you, Bob Arum represents both Pacquiao and Bradley, and you know that Arum always does what's in his best financial interest.

Let's get this straight: Pacquiao was the better fighter on June 9th at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. He came out and hit Bradley in the mouth from the start and didn't relent for the entire fight. Bradley should have been awarded one round, but in no way did he come anywhere near decisively winning this fight.

The world won't question Bradley's ability as a boxer after this fight, but it will question whether he is a better fighter than Pacquiao. As of now, it wouldn't be a stretch to say that the general consensus believes he is substantially inferior to Pacquiao.

Bradley's reputation as a boxer is on the line, and judging by his personality, he's going to want to fix that as soon as possible. The only way to change that is to officially schedule a rematch with Pacquiao to alleviate any doubt as to who is the better fighter.