Pacquiao vs. Bradley Post-Fight: Boxing Commission Should Face Public Backlash

Tonight's result in the WBO welterweight championship fight paints the Nevada State Boxing Commission as a corrupt, Tammany Hall-like, machine.

I mean, how else could the commission pick Bradley? There is no way every expert on the face of the boxing planet could be wrong. This controversial decision has sent shockwaves through sporting circles.

Bradley's WBO championship victory is mired, steeped and stewed in bitter, cynical controversy.

Some unofficial scorecards had Pacquiao winning this fight by as much many eight rounds while others placed the margin a tad more narrow.

A scorecard favoring Bradley is the needle in the haystack at this point. Good luck finding it.

Boxing's powers-that-be will not punish themselves for this unforgivable error in judgment, but that doesn't mean they should escape unscathed.

Public relations is vital to any major team, franchise or big-business corporation. Its importance weighs heavily with boxing's brass as well.

Fans of boxing need to make their unrest known. The integrity of the sport is on the line. How can the  results feel legitimate if the commission's (and every employee's) judgment cannot be accounted for?

After tonight's debacle their judgment is no longer infallible. Blowing a close fight, or a middle-of-the-road contest is one thing, but blowing a blockbuster brawl is inexcusable..

Something has to give.

Boxing's big wigs either need to offer a plausible explanation for the result of tonight's fight, or their integrity needs to be scrutinized under a powerful microscope.

Tonight's decision doesn't just seem like an error. It stinks of controversy.

Controversy and sports don't jive, and fans have to make that fact inescapable for boxing's higher-ups.

If not, we may as well simulate the fights beforehand and save these warriors the beating.