Any hope of Mayweather-Pacquiao 2 went up in smoke Saturday
LAS VEGAS – The win was clear, but then again, did anyone think it would be any different? Three fights, 36 rounds and we have reached one inescapable conclusion: Manny Pacquiao is a better fighter than Tim Bradley. Saturday’s performance was far from vintage Pacquiao, but his speed, power and activity were — again — too much for Bradley to overcome.
Inside the ring Freddie Roach celebrated, but Roach knew: This wasn’t the kind of win Pacquiao needed. Oh, sure, Pacquiao says he is going to retire. He will run for Senate in the Philippines in a few months, and the plan is to walk away from his boxing career and focus on a political one. Yet no one, not Roach, not Bob Arum, not anyone in Pacquiao’s inner circle believe he is truly done. Fighters fight, and the way Pacquiao has burned through money over the years he could be back in camp within weeks of the election.
All week Roach has been adamant: He wants another shot at Floyd Mayweather. Last May’s loss still lingers with Roach, still haunts him, the aging trainer craved another chance to match Pacquiao against Mayweather. Mayweather is retired, but Roach believed one thing: A brilliant performance by Pacquiao might be able to sway him. A knockout — and an early one — of a high-level opponent like Bradley might get Mayweather’s attention, might stir public interest in the fading narrative that Pacquiao’s shoulder was responsible for an underwhelming defeat. He impressed it on his aging pupil throughout camp, desperately hoping Pacquiao would rediscover his once-famed power.
He didn’t get it. Pacquiao was very good against Bradley, maybe better. He controlled the pace, connected with his combinations and even put Bradley down twice. He lured Bradley into the positions he wanted and forced him to fight his fight.
“He was strong, man, fast and strong,” Bradley said. “He was super smart tonight. He was always in the right spots. He was a step ahead of me. I was supposed to be a step ahead of him.”
For any other fighter, that would be enough. If Pacquiao wants to keep going, he can. Terence Crawford is a rising star and Roach told Yahoo Sports he is eager to match Pacquiao against Crawford at 140 pounds. There is the loud-mouthed Adrien Broner, the title-holding Jessie Vargas and a collection of popular 147-pounders across the political divide in Al Haymon’s stable.
None of them, though, are Mayweather, and as Roach congratulated Pacquiao in the ring, he had to know that door had forever been slammed shut. Publicly Mayweather has been adamant that he is retired, that 49-0 is enough for him. Privately, those that know him believe a rematch with Pacquiao could entice him back.
No, Mayweather-Pacquiao II wouldn’t sniff the kind of business the first fight did. But as much as the public bemoaned the lack of action last May, and 4.6 million people wouldn’t toss $100 apiece at a record-breaking pay-per-view, a considerable amount of interest would be there. A powerful Pacquiao performance against Bradley would undoubtedly send a rematch zooming past 2 million pay-per-view buys, a number that would be hard for Mayweather to ignore.
It didn’t happen, and now the first fight is likely the only time we’ll see the two best fighters of this generation share a ring. Pacquiao can continue, likely will continue; he called the chances of boxing again “50-50,” and a fighter’s retirement has never sounded so iffy. He could face Crawford, bust up Broner, collect millions for the next year, two years and beyond.
But he won’t get Mayweather. Not now, not ever again. 
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