Four days after announcing the Pacquiao-Bradley trilogy fight which will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Top Rank Promotions owner Bob Arum has yet to find a good story line to sell the fight to a huge number of unhappy fight fans
Arum has been at the receiving end of criticism from disgruntled fight fans for his decision to let Pacquiao and Bradley face each other again in the ring for the third time. Pacquiao and Bradley have fought twice in the last two years with the first fight ending in a split decision win in favor of Bradley in June 2012 followed by a unanimous decision win by Pacquiao in the second fight which happened almost two years later in April 2014. Fight fans know that Pacquiao won both fights as they now maintain that there is no need to stage a third fight arguing that although the first fight went to Bradley in the judges’ scorecards, it was very clear that Pacquiao was the winner in that fight. It is this mindset among fight fans that Arum is worried about because it is obvious that the fans are right in their assessment that there is no need for a third fight. Now Arum is saying that fans will see a different Bradley on April 9 because of trainer Teddy Atlas, who was credited for Bradley’s TKO win against Brandon Rios last November. Other than this perception, Arum could not argue his case in front of the knowledgeable fight fans. While Atlas may have succeeded in transforming Bradley into a ferocious fighter in a matter of months since he took over as trainer to replace Bradley’s longtime trainer Joel Diaz, it would be a different scenario with with Pacquiao in front of Bradley as proven in their last two fights. Arum needs to go beyond the Atlas factor to convince undecided fans to buy the trilogy fight. Atlas is just one storyline that Arum can bank on in his effort to sell the highly unpopular match. Arum has been selling Atlas-Bradley magic to lure undecided fans, forgetting that Pacquiao is the main draw in the upcoming fight. For the first time, fans are now thinking that Arum?because of his constant plugging of the Atlas-Bradley tandem?is already siding with Bradley as Pacquiao’s retirement draws near. The 83-year-old promoter’s expertise in promoting fights in nearly 50 years is beyond question but this time he seems to be forgetting that Pacquiao will be his savior in this seemingly flawed match-up. Aside from selling the Atlas-Bradley magic, Arum needs to give more emphasis on the “newly refurbished” Pacquiao, who has been making a case for a second encounter against former foe Floyd Mayweather. Pacquiao has been saying that he lost to Mayweather because he was suffering from a recurring shoulder injury before and during the fight?a claim that many fight fans are buying?and the reason why there is a huge demand for a Mayweather-Pacquiao rematch. Pacquiao is telling fight fans that he will deliver a great and entertaining fight because has has fully recovered from his surgery. Arum should be able to expound on this message in addition to the Atlas-Bradley storyline. Making a case about a “newly refurbished” Pacquiao now and during the next press tour will be a very good option for Arum take in his effort to maintain if not surpass the pay-per-view records Pacquiao and Bradley have established in their last two fights.
