Legendary promoter Bob Arum once expressed his frustration after Manny Pacquiao found himself on the wrong end of a controversial decision earlier in his career.
Arum played a key role in the exceptional professional career of the Filipino icon, promoting him under the ‘Top Rank’ banner for a number of years where he became a world champion in multiple weight classes.
After walking away from the sport back in 2021 when he suffered a shock defeat to Yordenis Ugas, Pacquiao made a sensational return to the ring last month when he fought to a split decision draw against reigning WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios.
At the height of Pacquiao’s tenure, the Filipino great shared the ring with Hall of Famer Tim Bradley on three occasions, a memorable trilogy between two of the best.
Speaking to the media after their first encounter back in June of 2012, which ended in a close split decision victory for Bradley, Arum expressed his frustration at the result, saying he had ‘never been so ashamed of the sport of boxing’ before criticising the judges.
“What were these three judges looking at? … I don’t think anything was happening here except these people don’t know how to score. They really don’t.”
The veteran promoter also said that he scored the fight 10 rounds to two in favour of Pacquiao and said the decision was ‘f***ing nuts.’ Pacquiao had dominated the early and middle rounds with faster combinations and cleaner power shots, but Bradley stayed resilient, moving well and rallying late with activity. Most observers did agree with Arum.
The Filipino would go on to settle the score in their second and third bouts however, defeating ‘Desert Storm’ via unanimous decision in their rematch two years later before he got the better of him once again in their trilogy bout in April of 2016.
