Timothy Bradley’s quest for another lucrative showdown with Filipino boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao may have ended with his win over former Pacquiao’s sparring partner Ruslan Provodnikov Saturday night at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California The win, though not impressive, could pave the way for a rematch with Pacquiao following his controversial win over the eight-division champion last year.
Top Rank Promotions owner Bob Arum, who promotes both Pacquiao and Bradley, was adamant to stage a rematch due to the dismal results of pay-per-view (PPV) buys of their last fight. Critics say Bradley has not transformed into a PPV attraction even after his controversial win over Pacquiao. One of the reasons he has not helped in generating revenues out of PPV subscriptions, is his very low fan base which could be attributed to his past record of headbutting, an offensive fighting style leading fans to tag him as a “dirty fighter.”
Another reason for his anemic PPV output is his less entertaining fighting style compared to Pacquiao. He also lacks killer punches to boost his low knockout record.
But in fairness to the Palm Springs star, he has been successful in removing his tag as a “dirty fighter” by not engaging in intentional headbutting as seen in his last two fights. Some improvements have also been noted in his overall fighting style. Bradley’s display of exceptional courage and determination in rising from the onslaught staged by the equally-courageous Russian aggressor, seems to have influenced the mindset of his critics, including Bob Arum. There were reports that the weekend event drew over a million viewers on HBO as words spread quickly about how good the fight was progressing.
“Obviously, word was getting around what a great fight this was,” Top Rank’s Bob Arum said. Now he is again in Arum’s radar for another lucrative fight with Pacquiao. His fans will most likely support him this time in his bid for another crack at eight-division world titlist. But knowing Arum for his calculated business decisions, he may have to ask Bradley for an interim fight before facing Pacquiao again next year. Meanwhile, Pacquiao is set to return to the ring in September against long-time foe Juan Manuel Marquez. Marquez has turned down Pacquiao’s request for a fifth fight to settle their differences. His continuous refusal to commit himself to another showdown with Pacquiao is just a way of getting more dollars from the promoters. Everyone who knows boxing and promotions, knows Marquez is all set to face Pacquiao in September. He has very little choice as no other opponent in the level of Pacquiao can offer him the kind of money he will get for his next fight.
