If indeed Manny Pacquiao is staging his swan song on April 9, then the Filipino icon will be looking to boost his 20-3-2 win-loss-draw (12 KOs) record on US soil when he faces Tim Bradley at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Since making his debut on American soil in June 2001, Pacquiao has racked up 25 stateside fights, excluding six staged in the Philippines (four times) and Macau (twice) in a 15-year span.
Overall, Pacquiao holds a 57-6-2 card with 38 KOs and he is looking to close out his Hall of Fame career with a flourish.
Pacquiao?s losses were dealt by Floyd Mayweather, Juan Manuel Marquez (fourth fight in 2012) and Bradley (in 2012), while the draws were against Agapito Sanchez and Marquez (first fight in 2004).
Freddie Roach is upbeat that the outcome will be favorable as Pacquiao, according to the Wild Card guru, virtually remains the same.
Still, Roach is not dismissing Bradley as somebody who can easily be discarded, citing his brave stand against one-time Pacquiao sparring partner Ruslan Provodnikov as clear proof of Bradley?s bravado.
?That fight was pure hell,? said Roach, obviously awed by Provodnikov?s near-knockout of Bradley a few years ago.
?I gave him a lot of credit for surviving that battle as I do for winning it and continuing on as he has. He?s a tremendous athlete and a gutsy fighter,? said Roach.
Bradley is training under the strict supervision of new cornerman Teddy Atlas in Palm Springs and Roach doesn?t believe he will undergo a major renovation under his new trainer.
?Sure, we will make some adjustments for the changes his new trainer implemented in the last fight, but as soon as Manny lands some meaningful punches, Bradley will revert back to his old style and that?s what we have to be prepared for.?
