Pacquiao vs. Bradley: Analyzing the Experts' Reactions to Controversial Decision

The bout between Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley will go down in boxing history, not because of the fighters, but because of the judges.

When the bell rang at the end of the twelfth round, fans expected it to be business as usual for Pacquiao. He would go back to his corner, be announced as the welterweight champion, then more talk of a fight with Floyd Mayweather would start.

But the judges handed down one of the most perplexing decisions in recent boxing history, and gave the belt to Bradley.

Here are three boxing experts’ reactions that cover all the angles of the controversy. 

Dan Rafael, Boxing Blogger, ESPN.com

Dan Rafael was clearly confused over the decision. He explains exactly why the judges made an atrocious call.

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The decision will go down as one of the worst, most bogus calls in the whole history of boxing. It was a disgrace. Shameful. Pathetic. We are not talking about a fight that was really close with several tight rounds that could have gone either way, so reasonable people can have a different opinion. No, we're talking about a fight that Pacquiao dominated. 

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For those who want to question Rafael’s motives, it should be noted that he picked Bradley to win the fight.

Rafael clearly summed up what everyone except for Duane Ford and C.J. Ross (the judges that scored the fight for Bradley) saw.

There was no two ways about the way this fight ended, and Rafael made this crystal clear.

Chris Mannix, Staff Writer, Sports Illustrated 

Chris Mannix did not agree with the decision, but he did believe there was an explanation for it.

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Here is why Bradley won: We are in Nevada, and in Nevada the judges have, historically, favored the aggressor. And while Pacquiao was landing the cleaner, heavier shots, Bradley was more active, outpunching Pacquiao (839-751). Every round, every single bleeping round, Pacquiao appeared to give the first minute away. You can’t do that in Nevada. I’m not saying it’s right, but it’s the way the judges in this state score a fight.

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Mannix’s analysis speaks to how subjective judging a boxing match can be. This is why a proposed investigation by Pacquiao’s promoter, Bob Arum, is likely not going to accomplish anything.

The judges can justify their scoring any which way they please to an investigative committee. However, they will never be able to win over the court of public opinion, and this decision was just plain wrong. 

Kevin Iole, Columnist, Yahoo Sports

Kevin Iole, like every expert, feels that Pacquiao clearly won the fight. However, he feels that the inexplicable decision was actually good for boxing. 

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Controversy sells. The bigger the controversy, the bigger the rematch. 

This rematch will be bigger than Saturday's bout by a wide margin. Bradley will become a star; he's already a charismatic guy who performed well when he finally got his chance on the big stage. And Pacquiao's legion of fans will rally to his support, believing he was wronged and demanding justice in a second fight.

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Iole does bring up an excellent point regarding the popularity of a rematch. However, the decision is also extremely damaging to the sport’s credibility. 

The only argument that could be made towards the decision not hurting boxing is that the sport’s credibility is already damaged beyond repair.

Stunts like this may draw in ratings and produce one popular fight but it is terrible for the sport in a wider perspective.