Bradley beats Pacquiao in controversial split decision

With two judges scoring the game 115-113 in favor of Bradley and one giving Pacquiao similar numbers, the Filipino pugilist hailed as one of the greatest in boxing history handed one of his championship belts to the undefeated professional boxer from California. Timothy Bradley is now the WBO Welterweight champion. The upset victory ended Pacquiao's seven-year winning streak as Bradley maintained an undefeated career record.

The announcement was met with boos from the overwhelmingly pro-Pacquiao MGM Grand Garden Arena crowd. The reaction was expected as the Compubox punch stats would later on justify. Pacquiao outboxed Bradley 253 to 159. He also landed 82 more power shots than his opponent.

Despite everything though, the boxer touted as the Pride of Philippines humbly accepted the judges' decision. He himself was the in the favorable receiving end of similar decisions before.

Coach Freddie Roach said they would call for an investigation on the disappointing matter. A sizeable number of boxing analysts worldwide likewise expressed disbelief over the results. However, although exclaiming disappointment over the results in one press conference, promoter Bob Arum appears to be more focused on having a rematch in the later part of the year.

Many allege that the fight was fixed or staged—that it was just aimed at making more money. Discussions on TV and on the radio even went on to take note of how Pacquiao allegedly held himself back. Conspiracy theorists are claiming that the goal of the alleged "fixed" fight was to stir controversy to maximize the revenue generation potential of a match perceived to be hardly as anticipated as the Pacquiao-Mayweather faceoff.