Scoring a boxing match is a complex thing, and not some thing so easy as looking at the final score within the corner from the tv as the clock winds down. But the reaction to the conclusion of Saturday’s fight between Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley was universally apoplectic, with promoter Bob Arum calling the decision a “death knell” for boxing and plenty of other spectators suggesting a more sinister motivation behind the surprising choice. Whether or not you watched the fight or merely watched the hubbub unfold over Twitter, the details appear pretty stark: by most accounts, Pacquiao landed a greater percentage of his punches and landed much more hits in 10 out from the 12 rounds. Bradley himself said he’d need to check the tape to see if he “really won.” But when it was all over, two from the three judges ruled in Bradley’s favor, giving him the victory.
That said, the choice wasn’t completely baseless: Though he expresses support for Pacquiao, the Journal’s Gordon Marino called the fight “a window in to the subjectivity of boxing,” noting how Bradley’s late-round surge of energy might’ve pushed the judges into his corner. For what it’s worth, Pacquiao was equitable if unyielding in his post-match statement, and declared his excitement to get a rematch. On the other hand, Arum said that will not take place till there’s an investigation in to the outcomes, although as Yahoo’s Kevin Iole notes, Arum “will most likely accede to Pacquiao’s wishes.” All of which means you should expect the controversy to become on everyone’s lips for a minimum of a little whilst longer.
“While the judges’ decision was inexplicable, some things are clear about Pacquiao’s future. A match with currently jailed Floyd Mayweather Jr. won’t be taking place anytime soon, if at all. The public is disgusted and tired by the two athletes’ inability to make the fight happen, and both men’s skill are visibly on the wane,” Gary Andrew Poole writes for Time. “Pacquiao’s subsequent fight will probably be a re-match against Bradley on Nov. 10. As for the fighting congressman of the Philippines, he will soon be visiting the Holy Land. Maybe the better to know the Lord’s intentions.”
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Historically speaking, there was currently a great deal at stake heading into Sunday’s French Open men’s final. By winning his seventh title, Rafael Nadal would pass Bjorn Borg for the Open-era record, whilst a Novak Djokovic victory would’ve produced the Serb the first male to hold all four significant titles in over 40 years. A 24-hour postponement because of rain delay only ratcheted the tension, especially as Djokovic was starting to create the unlikely comeback. When play left off, Djokovic was leading 2-1 within the fourth set - not the cushiest advantage, but not poor considering the way Nadal bullied his way toward winning the first two sets.
But because it picked up on Monday morning, Nadal quickly reacquainted himself using the now-dry clay court, and took the fourth set following Djokovic double faulted on match point. Though it’s difficult to believe, the seventh title might not even be the limit - Nadal just turned 26 last week, which means the bar he’ll set for some future prodigy to break ought to be even higher. As the Journal’s Carl Bialik writes, “Not only does Nadal have seven titles in eight tries here, but he beat Roger Federer five times, four when Federer was No. 1 on the planet, and Djokovic three occasions, as soon as when Djokovic was No. 1 in the world. He’s carried out it against the best, and never required greater than four sets to win a title here, or any match following the first round.” Like Pacquiao-Bradley, the rematch can’t come soon enough.
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The opening matches of Euro 2012 didn’t go just as planned. Two contenders to win it all, the Netherlands and Spain, lost and tied their respective matches, combining for just one goal. It was a low-scoring weekend in general, as just two of the 12 teams in play managed to score greater than as soon as. The reputation of a high-stakes soccer tournament cannot be judged by the lack of pyrotechnics, obviously, and there’s lots of time for the teams to obtain in to the swing of issues. But something that will halt the real-time carping of sports fans disdainful of seeing something so foreign as soccer on ESPN should be openly rooted for - and we’re guessing a high-scoring match, or one decided within the final minutes on some delirious breakaway goal, would do the trick.
Today, the fun resumes with a match between long-time rivals England and France. “No other game offers such high possible for drama. Neglect that France is a two-times Euro champion or that England is ranked No. 6 on the planet,” writes the Journal’s Jonathan Clegg. “We all know by now that what really separates these ancient rivals from the rest from the field is their shared knack for unraveling at major tournaments.” You are able to dig into the history or appreciate the match from a contemporary vantage point, one that wonders if England can overcome their roster turmoil to put up a solid displaying.
“[English manager Roy] Hodgson, no doubt correctly, has already tacitly accepted the accumulated failures of English organisation and vision because that sole and distant triumph in 1966,” James Lawton writes for the Independent. “He has said, in a lot of words, that England can't reside right here with the force and imagination of teams like Spain and Germany, and, who knows, a Netherlands coming back from the dead along with a Russia buoyed by their brilliant young prospect Alan Dzagoev and also the hope that they can create some thing much more substantial than their early, beguiling operating in Euro 2008.” To see if Hodgson’s pragmatism comes backed by a battle strategy, make sure to verify out our live blog starting at noon and all the rest of our continent-wide coverage from the tournament.
From ; http://blogs.wsj.com
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