Last night's split decision that awarded Bradley the welterweight championship came as a shocking surprise for those of us who stared in awe how Pac-Man was unjustly stripped of his crown. Bradley's only merit was to withstand Pacquiao's punches for twelve rounds with no clear plan of attack albeit desperate attempts to head-butt the champ. Despite the dubious results tallied in the scorecards and even rumors of game-fixing that would set the stage for a rematch, boxing history will always remember Pacquiao as the champ of manners who reacted with such grace in the face of adversity. Even in the post-match interview, Pac-Man did not point fingers at anyone or implied any wrong-doing, on the contrary he wished Bradley good luck and validated him as the new champion. Reacting with such grace and dignity when hit below the belt is perhaps Pacquiao's greatest lesson to all of us. I also join Pacquiao in congratulating Bradley, and, as Jack told Walcott in Hemingway's Fifty Grand, "Well, you're the champ now...I hope you get a hell of a lot of fun out of it."
