Bradley-Pacquiao to be reviewed

Posted: June 14, 2012

ONE OF boxing's major sanctioning bodies will review Timothy Bradley's controversial split-decision victory over Manny Pacquiao, the first step toward what promoter Bob Arum hopes will be "clarity" in the judging of the fight.

WBO President Francisco "Paco" Valcarcel said in a statement Wednesday that the WBO's championship committee will review video of the fight with five "recognized international judges" and make a recommendation. He said the WBO does not doubt the ability of the scoring judges.

Most reporters seated ringside and the vast majority of fans inside the MGM Grand arena on Saturday night thought Pacquiao had easily defended his welterweight title against Bradley.

The first surprise came when ring announcer Michael Buffer announced that there was a split decision, and the biggest surprise came in the reading of the scores. Jerry Roth had it 115-113 for Pacquiao, while judges Duane Ford and C.J. Ross had it for Bradley by the same score.

The Associated Press scored the fight 117-111 for Pacquiao.

Arum submitted a formal request to the Nevada Attorney General's office on Monday asking for an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the fight. A spokeswoman for the Nevada Attorney General's office said in an email to the AP that Arum's complaint is currently under review.

The decision ended Pacquiao's 15-fight winning streak, but also sets up a potential rematch later this year.

In other boxing news:

* Doctors said it is too early to tell if boxer Paul Williams will walk again even though he is able to move himself from his bed to a wheelchair after being paralyzed from the waist down in a May 27 motorcycle accident. Dr. Donald P. Leslie, the medical director at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, said the former welterweight champion's spinal cord is not cut, but the severity of damage to it remains undetermined.

Pro Football * 

Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Dontay Moch has been suspended for the first four games of the season because he violated the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing substances . . . Detroit Lions running back Mikel Leshoure was suspended for two games without pay and will have to give up two more game checks for violating the NFL's substance-abuse policy.

Philly File * 

Former Germantown Academy star Mike Marron is the pitching coach at Stony Brook (52-13), which opens play in the College World Series against UCLA (47-4) Friday in Omaha, Neb.

Sport Stops * 

New Jersey captain Zach Parise, eligible to become a free agent in July, said he'd consider re-signing with the Devils and has no interest in joining the New York Rangers.

* Notre Dame safety and special-teams player Austin Collinsworth is expected to be out 4 to 6 months following surgery on his left shoulder to repair a torn labrum. He is the son of former NFL star and current TV commentator Cris Collinsworth.

* Kentucky horse racing regulators approved a ban on the race-day use of an anti-bleeding drug, making it the first state in the nation to take such action. The proposed regulation would phase in the race-day ban on furosemide in graded or listed stakes races, beginning with 2-year-old horses in 2014. The ban would apply to the Kentucky Derby in 2015.

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