Bradley begging Pacquiao for a rematch

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 He sent the boxing world down laughing hoarse on the floor with an invitation to his rematch with Manny Pacquiao well ahead of their world welterweight championship fight in Las Vegas last June 9.

Sorry, but after the unthinkable happened, reigning world welterweight boxing champ Tim Bradley has been going through desperate times selling himself to Team Pacquiao.

Remember how Bradley had cried out that Pacquiao was scared of him.

That was indeed a dreadful way of selling Tim Bradley, the undefeated boxer.

Knowing the old Pacquiao, the Filipino boxing superhero would have jumped up and told tipsy Tim: “Lace on (those gloves) bum!”

* * *

Pacquiao, renewed, has remained unmoved.

Last heard of, Bradley was obviously on the bottom of the Pacman lottery list.

It’s like this. The announcement of Pacquiao’s next foe has been rescheduled again for early next week. Now, with Bradley feeling terribly threatened by Miguel Cotto and Juan Manuel Marquez, not necessarily in that order, the (cheaply) assumed world welterweight title-holder has gone begging on his knees.

“Pacquiao can choose anyone he wants to fight, but I don’t know how he can pick anyone other than me,” Bradley told Lance Pugmire of the LA Times.

“I am the champion. If he wants the belt back, he has to come through me to get it. He relinquished it to me. Regardless of what everyone might think of how I beat him, I’ve got a win on my resume over Manny Pacquiao, and it’s going to be in the history books that way.”

* * *

Bradley was neither asking nor begging. He was already twisting other people’s arms in trying to sell his dubious worth.

Of course, he has a problem. Pacquiao didn’t have to be told it was not himself but the blind judges who relinquished the world crown to the often-retreating American.

Another thing: Pacquiao is fully aware that picking Bradley (as his next opponent) would be foul, dirty as approving of the June 9 fraud, the way the blind Nevada State Attorney General has swept the on-ring robbery of the century under the rug.

* * *

Continued salesman Bradley: “There [were] less than a million PPV buys last June 9, but we’ll meet a number everyone will be happy with because of the controversy. People know who I am now because of the controversy. I didn’t get crazy beat in that fight. It was competitive.”

Meanwhile, Pugmire added Bradley will report back to his Indio camp for the first time since the June 9 bout on Monday after his broken foot and twisted ankle had healed.

There was one commentary which yesterday stated Pacquiao handlers were being “super cautious because of how bad the Pacman’s last two fights have been.”

Of course, it’s also worth noting that the last bout did drag but only after Bradley, who had called Pacquiao scared, shifted to a cheap cowering mode in the second half.

Pacquiao thinking of KO against Bradley

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LAS VEGAS—He’d never say it openly but Manny Pacquiao intends to knock out Timothy Bradley when they clash on Saturday night (Sunday morning in Manila).

The admission came from renowned trainer Freddie Roach in an interview with Manila-based sportswriters at the Top Rank Gym here.

“He talked about a knockout for the first time and said he would like to get a knockout,” said Roach, who will be inducted into the boxing Hall of Fame on Sunday.

“Usually he keeps it inside,” Roach said after Pacquiao’s workout on Thursday, his last before staking his World Boxing Organization welterweight crown against the unbeaten American.

The new fire in Pacquiao’s belly sent Roach’s hopes soaring for a stoppage.

He wants Pacquiao to prove wrong those doubters and detractors who claim that Pacquiao’s speed and power are on the wane, following four straight decision wins.

And Roach thinks Bradley, young and aggressive, fits the bill.

“Manny will take him to school,” vowed Roach. “I know this is a big opportunity for him, but it came too soon.”

Lacks skill and experience

Roach said Pacquiao would expose the 28-year-old Bradley, who boasts as many wins as his age but has scored only 12 knockouts.

“Bradley is durable and resilient, but he still lacks the skill and experience. He has never fought at this (elite) level.”

After studying tapes of Bradley’s fights, Roach noticed that the WBO light welterweight king hasn’t changed much.

“He’s still the same and commits the same mistakes at the same time,” Roach said. “Manny will catch him early on and will knock him out.”

That’s because Roach believes Bradley will fight—not run—in their 12-round battle at MGM Grand Garden Arena. And the bout will make people forget Pacquiao’s unimpressive victory over Juan Manuel Marquez in November last year.

Though the Pacquiao camp had an equally great training camp for that last bout, Roach said things fell apart when Pacquiao’s mind went adrift in the five days before the fight.

Ready for the kill

Roach said he felt the lack of focus in Pacquiao when the champ did not smile when he came out of the dugout, and rushed things from the opening bell.

“His mind wasn’t there.” said Roach, who feels that Pacquiao, with his family around, is primed up for the kill this time.

Other ring experts say Pacquiao will come under much closer scrutiny than usual as he attempts to prove he is still at the height of his powers.

Patching up with Jinkee

The Filipino southpaw narrowly retained his title against Marquez after his preparations had been hampered by various distractions, including marital difficulties.

Pacquiao has since patched up his relationship with his wife Jinkee and has become a much more disciplined boxer after replacing his former pastimes of cockfighting, gambling and nightclubbing with increased bible study and family time.

“No more gambling, no more drinking,” the 33-year-old Pacquiao told Reuters.  “I just want to focus on my career, focus on praying and follow the commandments of God.”

New but good distractions

Asked what had gone wrong for him against the experienced Mexican Marquez, Pacquiao replied: “I am not going to win a good fight all the time. Sometimes a fight comes where I will win after a hard time, and that time was during the last fight.”

He then added: “I was in 100 percent physical condition for that fight but I did have some family issues that I had to deal with. I also underestimated him.”

Roach has no doubt that his fighter, who has been installed by Vegas bookmakers as a 4-1 favorite and who has a career record of 54-3-2 with 38 knockouts, will be at his best against Bradley.

“I am very happy with Manny’s focus,” Roach said. “His focus is the best I have ever seen. Manny got rid of a lot of distractions in his life and he has some new distractions that are a lot better than the old ones.”

Speed and power

Roach explained why he didn’t think the fight with Bradley would last the distance.

“Bradley comes forward and is very aggressive,” said Roach. “He is a well-conditioned athlete and we know we are in for a tough fight. I don’t think we have fought anybody that muscular.

“But I think he will be overwhelmed by Manny’s speed and power. It’s going to be a great fight as long as it lasts. Manny wants to prove he’s not all done like some people say.”

Bradley will be fighting for only his second time at 147 pounds but he firmly believes he has a much greater incentive than his opponent.

‘All or nothing’

“I’m going to put it all on the line on Saturday,” said Bradley, who won his first world title at light welterweight by defeating Britain’s Junior Witter in 2008. “This is not his biggest fight, it’s my biggest fight. It’s all or nothing.”

The eloquent and eminently likeable Bradley was clear-cut about his best strategy against Pacquiao.

“I know that I’ve got to stay tight, I’ve got to stay behind a good jab and I’ve got to keep moving,” he said. “I’ve got to have great defense and I’ve got to counterpunch the hell out of this guy with combinations.”

Bradley said yes to rematch with Pacquiao

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LAS VEGAS— New World Boxing Organization welterweight champion Timothy Bradley is willing to give Saranggani Representative Manny Pacquiao a “chance to win his title back.”

Bradley issued this statement early Monday, a day after his controversial victory over Pacquiao via split decision.

“I’ve got to give him (Pacquiao) a chance to win his title back,” Bradley said.

Bradley, a 5-1 underdog despite his unbeaten record, ended a 15-fight winning streak by Pacquiao that dated to 2005 and helped make him a national treasure in his native Philippines.

California’s Bradley, who improved to 29-0 with 12 knockouts, had vowed before the biggest fight of his life to “shock the world” and he did so, despite injuries that manager Cameron Dunkin said Sunday turned out to be a swollen, twisted right ankle and a broken left foot.

Bradley – who arrived at the post-fight press conference in a wheelchair and was taken afterward to hospital for X-rays – said he thought it was in the second round that he stepped on referee Robert Byrd’s foot and “felt a pop”.

“I went back to my corner and said I think I might have broken my foot,” he said.

Trainer Joel Diaz said it was up to him – quit or carry on in the biggest fight of his life.

Bradley’s decision to carry on paid off, although for many his courage was lost in the “shock” of the night – that two judges saw Bradley winning the bout 115-113 while the third gave it to Pacquiao by the same score.

Promoter Bob Arum called it an “unbelievable” decision after Pacquiao appeared to have the fight well in hand.

Through the middle rounds, Pacquiao repeatedly landed his powerful straight left, the 33-year-old champion looking as if he might deliver his first knockout since 2009.

Bradley weathered those rounds and from the seventh made the adjustments that satisfied the judges, even if he never appeared able to hurt Pacquiao.

“I started working with angles, sticking and moving,” said Bradley.

“Most of his punches hit my arms,” Pacquiao said.

The controversy set the stage for a lucrative November re-match.

And Pacquiao said he was determined another fight with Bradley.

But his defeat may prove yet another stumbling block to a Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather mega-fight – a bout that has repeatedly failed to materialize despite the clamor from fans worldwide.

Immediately after the decision was announced, Pacquiao said: “I did my best but I guess my best wasn’t good enough.”

Later, Pacquiao’s usual smile seemed a bit strained as he told disappointed fans to keep their faith in boxing.

“Whatever happens, don’t be discouraged about boxing,” he said. “Next time.”

Manny Pacquiao, Tim Bradley post fight Press Conference

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Following one of the most controversial decisions in boxing history, Timothy Bradley, Manny Pacquiao, Bob Arum and Freddie Roach took to the podium in Las Vegas to give their thoughts on the welterweight bout. 
There were few surprises from Pacquiao and his trainer, Roach, both of whom rightfully thought they were robbed by the judges.  
Despite the fact that Pacquiao landed more punches (253-159), more power punches (190-109) and a higher percentage of his power punches (38.5-27.7), the ringside judges scored the fight 115-113, 113-115, 115-113 in favor of Bradley.

Pacquiao, Bradley fight: Bob arum said,"Judges don't know how to score"

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Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley Post Fight Interview

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Pacquiao lost to Bradley:"How that happens?"

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In a big fight like this it's just weird that all this things are happening.

Round 1

Pacquiao 10-9 Bradley is agressive with jabs and pushing the pace with straight jabs. Pacquiao pops lands combination..good round! goes iether way!

Round 2 Pacquiao 10-9 lands left but Bradley rolled his shoulder.. Bradley holds Manny wow... ..Manny lands good left hook on

Round 3 Pacquiao 10-9 Bradley lands straight to the body, Pacquiao unloads left hook and combination . Bradley shakes head Manny sliced shots

Round 4

Pacquiao 10-9 Bradley is eratic ...Pacquiao unloads his fury... with more power shots. Pacquiao left hand is punishing Bradley

Round 5

Pacquiao 10-9 Bradley almost came down on Pacquiao's left hook, but Bradley continues to advance, which Pac likes..Bradley doesnt move his head

Round 6

Pacquiao 10-9 Pacquiao mouth bleeds but he seems dictating the fight.. Pacman is precise...good combination on both fighters in the end

Round 7

Pacquiao 10-9 Pacquiao unloads combo, good shots to Bradley whos waiting for lucky shot

Round 8

Pacquiao 10-9. Pacquiao rocks Bradley with combination body shots... Bradley good uppercut..crowds go crazy as Manny lands good shots

Round 9

Pacquiao 10-9 Bradley complaining his foot! Both exchage good shots .. Pacman in composure.. crowds cheering Manny, Manny

Round 10 Pacquiao 10-9 Bradley is sturdy with good chin..he caught Manny with body shots.... Manny firing back, ..good exchange... crowds went crazy

Round 11 Bradley 10-9 Manny good shots again, left hook but doesnt slow Bradley ..very tough guy

Round 12

Pacquiao 10-9 Last round! Both fighters are exhausted...Good exchange shots in the last minute... as crowd roars...Bradley just WOW!! BRADLEY SCORES A SPLIT DECISION.... Tim Bradley by scores of 115-113, 113-115,115-113! Manny Pacquiao lost!

Manny Pacquiao: A changed man but still hungry to win

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LAS VEGAS—Manny Pacquiao barely escaped to fight another day, and would need 28 stitches to close the cut over his right eye. Juan Manuel Marquez had nearly ended his remarkable run, but that didn’t stop Pacquiao from singing at his postfight concert and partying the night away with his huge entourage.

He returns to the ring on Saturday, determined to show his last outing was nothing more than a fluke. Little-known Timothy Bradley will be his opponent in a fight that could either end Pacquiao’s lucrative career or revitalize it.

No partying

This time, though, there will be no concert, and no party. Win or lose, the only thing on Pacquiao’s postfight agenda is a Bible study session and some time with his wife.

He claims to be a changed man, and the people around him say he really is. What no one really knows, though, is how it will affect him in the ring, something that makes this fight a bit more intriguing than most.

“It’s 100-percent good,” insists Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach. “He’s much more focused now. From all the distractions he had, the trade-off is unbelievable.”

Oddsmakers aren’t so sure, making Pacquiao a relatively short 4-1 favorite against the unbeaten Bradley. He was a 7-1 pick against Marquez, but was lucky to come away with a majority decision in a fight that could have gone either way.

Pacquiao said afterward that he just had problems with the style of Marquez. Those close to him, though, said personal problems and marital discord troubled him through training camp all the way into the dressing room before the fight, when he was still so consumed by them that he failed to warm up properly.

There will be no excuses this time. Pacquiao knows he not only needs to win but to win impressively if he is to retain his spot alongside currently jailed Floyd Mayweather Jr. as one of the two best fighters in the world.

“I want to prove that I’m still young and I can still fight,” Pacquiao said. “I feel I’m still hungry, I’m still OK.

Unbeaten in 7 years

Pacquiao risks a 15-fight winning streak when he defends his piece of the welterweight title against Bradley. He hasn’t lost in seven years and his recent fights have all been big pay-per-view events that made him millions. But the pressures of being at the top of his sport and of being both a national hero and a congressman in the Philippines fueled a bloated lifestyle that couldn’t be sustained.  Pacquiao gave up drinking, and he gave up gambling. He gave away his cockfighting ranch in the Philippines and sold his interest in a casino there.

He found a spiritual adviser, and now spends his spare moments reading and discussing the Bible.

“The things I did over and over in the past, I stopped those,” Pacquiao said. “I know now if I die today I know where I’m going. It’s helped a lot in my personal life and my boxing life.

More focused

Training in Los Angeles last week, Pacquiao seemed focused as he sparred six rounds with two sparring partners. He dismissed concerns that his new dedication to religion would somehow make him less aggressive in the ring, and said he doesn’t feel like he’s lost any of his speed or his power at the age of 33.

“This is my job,” he said. “I have a job to do in the ring. I’m not underestimating him at all.”

Pacquiao weighed in Friday at the class limit of 147 pounds (66.7 kilograms), while Bradley—who is noticeably more musclebound—weighed 146. It is the heaviest that Pacquiao has ever weighed for a fight.

Bradley, a 140-pound (63.5-kilogram) champion moving up in weight for his biggest fight yet, is the kind of fighter who could give Pacquiao trouble. He fights going forward, isn’t afraid to mix it up inside, and has yet to be beaten in 28 fights.

Mediocre opponent

Yet Roach sees him as a mediocre fighter with limited skills. He said if Pacquiao loses or doesn’t look good against Bradley he will tell him it is time to retire.

“Timothy Bradley is made for Manny,” Roach said. “He’s slow and he doesn’t punch hard, but he tries hard. Manny should eat him up as he comes forward.”

Bradley hardly seems overwhelmed by the hype that surrounds his biggest fight ever. He freely talks about his game plan for beating Pacquiao, and the motivation that has helped him win fights when he was in trouble.

He even brought an oversized replica of a ticket to the final prefight press conference announcing a rematch with Pacquiao on Nov. 10 after his win Saturday night.

“It’s been a long journey but I knew someday I’d get here,” Bradley said. “I just didn’t know when or how.”

Bradley’s fight plan

Bradley said he must resist getting in a brawl with Pacquiao, but says he doesn’t believe Pacquiao has one-punch knockout power. He plans to counterpunch Pacquiao as he comes at him, a style that worked well for Marquez, and will go to the body early and often.

Bradley, who grew up boxing in Palm Springs, California, has only 12 knockouts, but said he sees himself putting Pacquiao on the canvas at some point in the fight. People who criticize him as not being good enough to be in a big fight, he said, simply underestimate his heart.

“I’ve already been bashed in the media enough that it doesn’t mean anything,” he said. “I can accept criticism, but I just use it as fuel. I like it when people talk good about me, and I like it even better when they talk bad.”

Pacquiao looks good and sharp in sparring session

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MANILA, Philippines – Filipino boxing icon Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao was in excellent form in what could be his final sparring session before he goes to Las Vegas for his June 9 bout against unbeaten American boxer Timothy Bradley Jr.

In an interview with Boxing Scene’s Ronnie Nathanielsz, strength and conditioning coach Alex Ariza said Pacquiao engaged in a short sparring session against Russianboxer Ruslan Provodnikov.

“Manny looks good, he looks sharp,” Ariza said. “But it is always like this before a fight. It’s just a matter of doing the right things on the night of the fight.”

Ariza also revealed that Pacquiao is no longer suffering from leg cramps, which hindered his performances in his last few fights.

“We are doing everything and taking extra precautions. I don’t want to even say that we are doing anything special, because we’ve been doing all this stuff before,” Ariza said.

“But now, we are taking the time to warm up the legs, focus on the lower legs just to get everything right. We are more efficiently well-rounded as far as preparing the lower part of his body before he starts working out,” he added.

Pacquiao attended Mass on Sunday at the Christ the King Church before he and his family are set to leave for Las Vegas.

He will defend his World Boxing Organization welterweight title against the undefeated Bradley

Bradley can't wait to defeat Pacquiao

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HOLLYWOOD—Thrust into the international scene and showered with attention, Timothy Bradley has found it hard to cope up with the hype of his fight against global icon Manny Pacquiao on June 9.

Depicted as a gentle family man who prefers the confines of his community in the early buildup of their showdown for the WBO welterweight crown, Bradley has suddenly become a menacing, threatening presence.

The unbeaten American first claimed he was ready to shock the world by beating and dominating Pacquiao. Then Bradley vowed to punish and hurt the eight-division champion when they clash at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas.

The WBO light welterweight king then boasted that he’s ten times better than Juan Manuel Marquez, who gave Pacquiao a tough fight before losing by unanimous decision in their third battle last November.

Bradley’s latest pronouncements that appeared at BoxingScene.com, however, was a shocker.

“I can’t wait to get in there and kill this dude,” Bradley told Ryan Burton.

The 28-year-old Bradley, of course, can say what he wants. After all, he’s unbeaten in 28 fights, has trained rigorously for three months and, thanks to a vegan (vegetarian) diet, posseses a well-chiseled physique that would make even elite bodybuilders drool.

Pacquiao concerned about Bradley's headbutts dirty tactics

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MANILA, Philippines – Filipino boxing icon Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao admitted that he is concerned about some of the in-ring tactics of his upcoming opponent, undefeated American boxer Timothy Bradley Jr.

Bradley will challenge Pacquiao for the World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight championship on June 9 at the MGM Grand.

“Timothy Bradley is undefeated, but I am concerned about the headbutts and I have to prepare for that,” Pacquiao told Boxing Scene.

Bradley has developed a reputation as a dirty fighter because of his tendency to lead with his head, with some of his past opponents complaining that Bradley does this intentionally.

Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach, has also complained of Bradley’s tactics.

But Bradley’s trainer, Joel Diaz, denied the accusations. “Never in my years that I have trained Timothy, has he every mentioned using his head intentionally,” Diaz said.

Pacquiao said he will have to find a way to avoid Bradley’s headbutts during their fight.

“We have to study his fights to see what I’m going to do to keep away from that headbutt,” he said.

Bradley has not lost in 28 professional bouts. His most recent victory – against veteran Joel Casamayor – came in the undercard of Pacquiao’s trilogy bout against Juan Manuel Marquez last November 2011.