Pacquiao vs. Bradley Results: Shocking Decision Provides Boost to Boxing

Two days after Timothy Bradley scored a controversial split-decision victory over Manny Pacquiao, it's still a popular mainstream sports discussion. That wouldn't have been the case if Pacquiao won, which means the surprising result has actually helped the sport.

Boxing has slowly faded over the past decade as the level of competition dropped significantly, leaving just a couple superstars to get fans excited. Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather lead the way, but since a super fight remains unlikely, the sport must generate hype in other ways.

Bradley's win has made the sport matter again, at least in the short term. It's been a long time since people talked as much about boxing as they have since Saturday night. Even though it's not the ideal type of hype, promoters aren't going to complain.

While that has caused conspiracy theorists to claim the decision was predetermined, boxing stands to lose far too much if a match-fixing scandal ever erupted. Any hope it had of working back up the sports ladder would be over.

So, in reality, it's just a case of two judges who saw the fight a lot different than many other people in attendance and watching around the world. Now boxing must find a way to capitalize on the added media attention before it evaporates.

The best way to do that would be to announce both Pacquiao and Bradley's next fights. Whether it's a rematch or two separate high-profile bouts, make the dates known to the public before they stop caring and turn their attention elsewhere.

Bradley has a chance to become the sport's next big star. He must get treated as such. Although it would have been nice to seen him pick up a more convincing first marquee win, it's still a victory over an elite fighter that hadn't lost in more than seven years.

If boxing is going to make a comeback, it needs star power. Bradley quietly showcased a lot of talent against Pacquiao and should continue to improve now that he had a chance to understand what the big-fight atmosphere is all about.

As the old saying goes, there's no such thing as bad publicity. Over time the decision will become less of a story and what boxing did to make the sport better after it will become far more important.

It all starts with using the spotlight time to make people care about boxing again. Promoters couldn't have asked for a better opportunity, now they must make the most of it.

If not, a golden opportunity will have slipped away and the sport will continue to struggle to make an impact on an increasingly jam-packed sports landscape.