PALM SPRINGS ? Wearing a hat that said ?I love haters,? WBO welterweight champion Timothy Bradley of Cathedral City said he’s game for a rematch with Manny Pacquiao following Bradley’s win by split decision.
However, Bradley said his promoter is cooling off on the idea of a Nov. 10 fight.
Bradley appeared on www.mydesert.com on Tuesday afternoon for an hour-long online chat, speaking about a variety of topics following his controversial June 9 victory over Pacquiao in Las Vegas.
Pacquiao had a clause in his contract allowing for a rematch if he lost to Bradley, and the Filipino superstar said during his television interview and in the post-fight news conference that he wanted a rematch.
But promoter Bob Arum, who thought Pacquiao dominated the fight and was upset by the 2-1 decision favoring Bradley, has expressed doubts the rematch would do good business.
The Bradley-Pacquiao fight generated $9 million at the gate, but it wasn’t a sellout at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Fighter Juan Manuel Marquez attended the Bradley-Pacquiao fight, and it was rumored they would announce a fourth Pacquiao-Marquez fight until Bradley won.
Speculation is that Pacquiao-Marquez 4 will be fought Nov. 10 rather than a rematch against Bradley.
?I don’t think that’s the way it should go. I think the rematch should happen. I think the fight was really close, it could have gone either way,? Bradley said. ?I’m all for it. Nov. 10, let’s do it. November or December, if he wants to do the rematch, why not? All this (controversy) would be taken away. Let’s do the rematch and settle it once and for all.?
Arum helped fuel the controversy by saying he felt Pacquiao won 10 of the 12 rounds of the fight. Two of the judges scored Bradley winning seven rounds to give him the victory. The third judge had the similar 115-113 score, but scored the fight for Pacquiao.
After the fight, Arum said Bradley’s manager, Cameron Dunkin, scored the fight for Pacquiao, which Dunkin denied. Arum also said Bradley told him he tried his best against Pacquiao, but he couldn’t win.
