"This isn't just someone from the Pacquiao camp complaining about a close decision," Arum said. "That decision was just ridiculous. If those judges want to see an eye specialist I've got a good one I can recommend.
“People look and say that the HBO announcers are schmucks because they had it [11 rounds-to-1 for Pacquiao]," Arum said. "I'm watching the fight so I must also be a schmuck because I had it 11-1.
“But these judges somehow scored it differently. Nobody likes to be a schmuck."
Schmuckness aside, judge Jerry Roth scored it 115-113 for Pacquiao (54-4-2) while judges CJ Ross and Duane Ford scored it the same but had Bradley (29-0).
Hardly anyone beside those two judges and the people in Bradley's camp believed he had won, and the crowd at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, which was heavily pro-Pacquiao, rained a long stream of boos when the decision was announced.
Pacquiao appeared to have set the pace and controlled the first half of the fight, while Bradley, who hurt his ankle in the second round, came on in the later rounds.
"I did my best, but I guess it wasn't good enough," Pacquiao said.
CompuBox statistics, which Arum was happy to point out, had Pacquiao throwing 100 more power punches and connecting on 11 percent more than Bradley.
Bradley threw nearly 200 more jabs but connected on just 11 percent of them while Pacquiao hit on 24 percent of his 258 jabs.
Only Bradley appeared to get hurt at any point during the fight.
"I got hit with some big shots early on, persevered and then used my boxing ability to clear maybe the last five rounds, I feel and get the victory," Bradley said. "I heard the boos at the end of the fight, which is OK, but we definitely need to do this again and make it more decisive.
“What do you want me to do? A lot of people may not think I won't, but the judges, who decide, did."
Although Arum had already inked Bradley to a rematch clause for Nov. 10, he was not in the mood to see this as a no-lose situation. He threw a bone to Bradley saying, "At least a really nice and good man got this gift," but added, "If I, who have been in this business for 47 years, say that I am ashamed for [boxing by the decision,] ... Fans who like athletic competition but have no real connection to [boxing] could be nothing else but turned off." n
Contact John Smallwood at smallwj@phillynews.com
