Veteran trainer Teddy Atlas may have realized that Timothy Bradley will be facing Manny Pacquiao in the ring on April 9 with two good hands instead of one when the Filipino star lost by a unanimous decision against Floyd Mayweather last year.
Atlas sounds cautious about issuing statements that would project Bradley as the better fighter without knowing exactly how Pacquiao will perform after undergoing surgery to repair his torn rotator cuff. “Anyone who has watched me on ESPN for nearly 20 years knows I’m not one to throw out superlatives unless I believe them, but Pacquiao is one of the best fighters of the last decade,” Atlas said. “It’ll be a tough challenge, but we’ll make sure we’re ready for [it]. We will respect the challenge Pacquiao presents. We will do what we’re supposed to do and be 100 percent prepared. It will be a difficult fight,” Atlas said. Pacquiao has pointed to his recurring shoulder injury as the reason why he lost to Mayweather in their “Fight of the Century” which broke all pay-per-view (PPV) records in boxing history with 4.4 million PPV buys. Now Pacquiao is saying he will have two good hands working for him when he returns to the ring after surgery and close to a year of therapy. Atlas has been credited for Bradley’s superior performance against Brandon Rios which ended in a TKO win in his favor in a title fight that took place at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada last November. Pacquiao has acknowledged Atlas’ role in transforming Bradley into a bit of an aggressive fighter. ?When he (Bradley) took in a new trainer, he became a bit more aggressive,? Pacquiao told Nick Giongco of mb.com.ph. ?If he maintains that fighting style, the fans will be in for a treat. I like that,? Pacquiao added
