RIP Boxing? Fans cry conspiracy on Manny Pacquiao loss to Timothy Bradley

Ladies and gentlemen, Manny Pacquiao has been defeated.

Late money came in on Timothy Bradley to upset the Filipino fighting sensation in their WBO welterweight championship fight last night (Sat., June 9, 2012) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. But there may have only been a handful of individuals who truly believed Bradley would pull off the shocking upset.

That likely rings true after the two battled for 12 hotly contested rounds, with scores ranging from 117-111 (my personal score and shared by folks like Scott Christ of Bad Left Hook) to 116-112, and 115-113. The one constant is that they were all for Pacquiao.

But when Michael Buffer read the scorecards of the three folks who mattered, the ringside judges, they were unanimous in their belief of 115-113 scores across the board. Only one of them sided with Pacquiao, with the other two awarding the bout to Bradley and, in turn, giving him the split decision victory.

Outrage immediately rang out through the sporting world. Not just the boxing realm, or even the combat sports realm; the entire sporting world seemed to collectively express its displeasure with the decision.

"What the fuck!"

"Oh my god."

"The fix was in."

Those are just a few of the reactions on social media giants like Twitter. More than a few folks are claiming this was done simply to create a big money rematch, which was already scheduled for November of this year if Bradley were to emerge victorious. In some ways that seems silly. Pacquiao losing wasn't exactly an insane thought anymore but his losing to Bradley may have been the worst thing for business. It was a high risk, low reward fight and this proved it.

The rematch will undoubtedly sell. But that rematch could prove to be Manny's retirement fight.

And all this without even mentioning the boxing superfight of the 21st century, Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather, going up in smoke.

What did you think of the decision? Agree with the judges? Think the fix was in and it was all set up for the rematch later this year? Ready to declare boxing dead and mixed martial arts (MMA) the supreme combat sport?

Sound off, Maniacs.

For complete results and round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire Pacquiao vs. Bradley PPV event click here.

More Pacquiao-Bradley Coverage From SBN
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