That he's a former WBO welterweight champ now is thanks to some judging that was questionable, if not borderline incompetent. But boxing has always been a subjective sport, and anything shy of a knockout is always open to interpretation by the three judges who sit ringside and score things round by round.
Pacquiao understands that as well as anyone. In his last fight with Juan Manuel Marquez, he was lucky to escape with a majority decision that just as easily could have gone to the Mexican challenger.
It's a mistake he vows not to repeat if the two meet as expected Nov. 10 in a rematch both say they want.
The end of his 15-fight winning streak was even more startling because most near ringside didn't see it coming. Almost without exception every writer had Pacquiao well ahead. The Associated Press scored it 117-111 for Pacquiao.
Punching stats compiled by Compubox showed Pacquiao landing 253 punches to 159 for Bradley, and landing more punches in 10 of the 12 rounds. But boxing statistics are subjective, too, compiled by two people counting the punches they believe land in a fight - and this one got so wild at times it was hard to tell who was hitting whom.
Still, when the split decision was announced and judges Duane Ford and C.J. Ross had Bradley winning 115-113, the pro-Pacquiao crowd booed loudly, and 81-year-old promoter Bob Arum nearly went apoplectic.
"This isn't about a close decision," said Arum, forgetting for a moment that he promotes both fighters. "This is absurd and ridiculous and everyone involved in boxing should be ashamed."
It didn't take long for radio talk shows and people commenting online to take up the theme. As usual, they said they would never watch another fight and, as usual, claimed the fight had to be fixed.
It wasn't, of course, because boxing in Nevada is heavily regulated and there has never been any indication judges could be bought off for a big fight.
Almost overlooked in the uproar was that Bradley fought smart and he fought gritty. He never gave up despite badly injuring both feet in the early rounds, and he took the best Pacquiao had and kept going after him. Bradley didn't have the power to keep Pacquiao off him, but he had ring intelligence and determination.
"There's three judges out there. What do you want me to do?" Bradley asked. "Two of them felt I won the fight. That's all that counts."
While the fight set up what will be a lucrative rematch for both fighters, it may also quiet talk about a fight between Pacquiao and Mayweather that now seems destined never to happen.
With Mayweather serving a three-month sentence in Nevada's Clark County Detention center - where the Pacquiao fight was not shown - and Pacquiao gearing up for a rematch with Bradley, there are even more obstacles to the megafight than before.
