BEVERLY HILLS ? While some have said Cathedral City boxer Timothy Bradley has won the ?Manny Pacquiao lottery? by securing a fight with the popular boxer, trainer Joel Diaz sees it a different way.
?Our goal is not just to fight Manny Pacquiao,? said Diaz, Bradley’s trainer for seven years. ?To me, winning the lottery is beating Manny Pacquiao, to beat one of the greatest fighters ever in boxing.?
So the hype for the Pacquiao-Bradley fight began Tuesday at the Beverly Hills Hotel, kicking off a promotional tour for their welterweight bout June 9 at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas.
The Bradley-Pacquiao media blitz moves to New York today and Thursday. On Friday, Bradley will be in Bristol, Conn., for several appearances on ESPN, including the Dan LeBatard show and guesting on ?Friday Night Fights.?
Tuesday’s news conference was televised on the Top Rank website and drew 250,000 viewers, according to promoter Bob Arum, a testament to the appeal of Pacquiao, who is also a congressman in the Philippines.
The media tour began Monday with Bradley and Pacquiao participating in a photo shoot in Los Angeles. During a behind-the-scenes video posted online, Bradley and Pacquiao were to faceoff, but then Bradley broke out laughing, struggling to keep a straight face.
?Manny Pacquiao is a character, man,? Bradley said. ?He winked his eye on me when we’re face to face, or he’ll flair his nose, and I’ll do the same. He’s just a jokester. Manny Pacquiao is a very honorable guy; he’s a very approachable guy, a very nice guy.?
On Tuesday, when the fighters again were to face off, Pacquiao began to crack a laugh. Later, Pacquiao grabbed a camera and started to take photos of Bradley.
Bradley said that will all change June 9.
?Don’t take my kindness for weakness, and I’m not going to take his kindness for weakness,? Bradley said. ?That’s just me, that’s how I am. If you’re respectful to me, I’ll be respectful to you.?
