LAS VEGAS – The three judges who will score Saturday night’s (Sunday, Manila time) World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title fight between Timothy Bradley and Manny Pacquiao is the least of the concerns of the Filipino challenger.
“I’m not thinking about the judges and officials because I have always confidence in the (Nevada) Commission,” said the boxing star, who’s trying to reclaim the 147-lb. belt which Bradley took from him in 2012. “I’m not complaining. I’m a fighter and my job is to fight in the ring.”
Concerns about the officials scoring the 12-round fight at the MGM Grand again came to the fore following the controversial split decision eked out by Bradley over Pacquiao two years ago, which saw the American win the bout 115-113 in the scorecards of the two judges and losing it by the same score in the other one.
CJ Ross and Duane Ford, the two officials who saw the fight in favor of Bradley, have since retired. Ross incidentally, got involved in yet another contentious fight result after scoring the Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Saul Alvarez light-middleweight championship match even at 114-114 despite the obvious dominance of Floyd Jr.
The three judges working Pacquiao-Bradley II this time are Glenn Trowbridge, Michael Pernick, and Craig Metcalfe.
Trainer Freddie Roach also gave his nod to the selection of the fight officials, including third man on the ring Kenny Bayless.
“I think Nevada has a great commission and I have no problem with the referee and judges. We have seen the selection (of judges) and we’ve okayed it,” said Roach.
As for Bayless, the five-time Trainer of the Year said “he’s the top referee of the world right now and he does a good job.”
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