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Manny Pacquiao on a hiding to nothing with Timothy Bradley trilogy

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With only one April bout option open until retirement, Pacquiao had the chance to bow out in style against exciting contenders Terence Crawford or Amir Khan.

Instead, he opted for a man he effectively defeated twice by a wide margin.

What was the thinking behind it? – Who knows?

But the surprise choice rings the same bells as rival Floyd Mayweather’s decision to end his career against Andre Berto.

Pacquiao has squarely proven himself against Bradley over 24 rounds previously. He is only putting himself in jeopardy against a fighter potentially reaching his peak level as he himself is firmly on the way down.

At least against Crawford or Khan, we’d learn something new about the ‘Pacman’

Whereas a Bradley win places more doubts following on from the Mayweather loss. It only re-questions whether Pacquiao was correct to have returned.

MANNY PACQUIAO

Should the Filipino have gone with the more dangerous option against Crawford or Khan’s speed and agility?

Pacquiao would have then been able to add something more to his legacy by showing he can still mix it with the future generation.

It’s a further disappointment for the fight fans who were granted the super-bout they always longed for in May 2015.

Pacquiao fought Mayweather, but only unmoved fans by how the actual contest panned out and subsequently even further by their respective follow-up encounters.

Sadly, no outcome barring an unlikely knockout win would do anything to send Pacquiao out with the bang he deserves. The more likely points chess match certainly won’t set pulses racing as the eight-weight champion takes his final bow.

The views expressed in this article are that of the Editor, Phil Jay. WBN celebrated its 10th Anniversary on August 1st, 2020, and is the top-visited independent boxing news website in the world.

Phil Jay is an Auxiliary member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Follow on Twitter @PhilDJay