LOS ANGELES ? Manny Pacquiao could have chosen just about anyone to help him return to the ring April 9 at the MGM Grand Garden.
Amir Khan wanted him. Terence Crawford would have loved to have fought him. Shawn Porter. Keith Thurman. Jessie Vargas. Even Adrien Broner. All would have been happy to step in the ring with him.
Instead, Pacquiao decided to face World Boxing Organization welterweight super champion Timothy Bradley Jr., a third time before his real fight begins, that being his attempt to win a seat in the Philippine senate in May. The fight will be televised on HBO Pay Per View. Tickets, priced at $1,204, $804, $604, $404, $254 and $154 plus applicable fees, go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday through Ticketmaster, ticketmaster.com and mgmgrand.com.
“I chose Bradley because I believe he’s different than the fighter I fought before,” Pacquiao said Tuesday at the Beverly Hills Hotel as the kickoff began for the promotion. “He showed it against (Brandon) Rios and I believe we can make a great fight.”
Officially, Pacquiao (57-6-2, 38 knockouts) and Bradley (33-1-1, 13 KOs) have split their two meetings. But most boxing fans and many who covered their first fight in June 2012 are of the opinion that Pacquiao won and Bradley benefitted from some questionable judging in gaining a 12-round split decision and the World Boxing Organization welterweight title. Their rematch in April 2014 saw Pacquiao dominate and get revenge with a 12-round unanimous decision and regaining his title.
So why bother with Bradley again? It’s not as though this was Juan Manuel Marquez, who knocked out Pacquiao in their fourth meeting in December 2012 and who had epic battles with Pacquiao over the years in their other three meetings.
“I think people still have some doubts,” said Pacquiao, a two-term congressman from Sarangari province in the Philippines. “I thought I won that fight but the record shows that (Bradley) won. Now, we can settle it once and for all who the better fighter is.”
Bradley, who was impressive knocking out Rios at the Thomas & Mack Center Nov. 7, said he needs to put the doubts to rest that he did indeed beat Pacquiao the first time. He also has a different trainer as Teddy Atlas is working his corner after Joel Diaz was his trainer for his first two meetings with Pacquiao.
“I know people still doubt I won the first fight,” Bradley said. “But I’m not the same fighter Pacquiao saw in our first two fights. I think he’s going to be surprised by what he sees.”
Will he? Freddie Roach, Pacquiao’s longtime trainer, doesn’t think so.
“It’s the same Bradley,” Roach said. “Look who they put in front of him ? an out-of-shape guy who was ready to retire. He hasn’t beaten Manny yet and he’s not going to beat Manny on April 9.”
For Pacquiao, the big question will be his right shoulder. Has he fully recovered from the injury which he suffered in training for his May 2 fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr? Pacquiao had been injured six weeks prior to the fight and even the night of the fight, he was looking to get a pain-killing shot which was denied him by the Nevada Athletic Commission because Pacquiao had put down on his prefight medical questionnaire that his shoulder was not hurt.
Will he have to train differently? Will he be able to spar without fear of re-injuring the shoulder? Does Roach take things slow at first and build up to April 9? Or is it business as usual where Pacquiao spars from Day One and they don’t worry about the shoulder, which was surgically repaired a couple of days after the Mayweather fight.
Pacquiao was recently seen playing basketball in the Philippines, which normally Roach would not be too pleased with. But the fact he was playing may be an indication his shoulder is just fine and once Pacquiao begins training at Roach’s Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood, it will be the normal routine everyone is used to.
“I’m convinced Manny’s shoulder is 100 percent so we’re going full steam ahead,” Roach said. “I’m not going to baby Manny. I don’t have to. Manny’s not going to lie to me. If he says his shoulder’s fine, I believe him.”
Pacquiao said he will train as he usually does.
“My shoulder is fine,” he said. “I’m ready to train and ready to fight.”
Top Rank chairman and Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum, who promotes both fighters, has said he’s not promoting this as Pacquiao’s last fight. He’s right. What if Pacquiao loses his senate bid in May? He would likely remain active as a boxer. He’s going to earn a minimum of $20 million for the trilogy with Bradley. Arum, who confirmed the purse on Pacquiao, said he and Bradley have a confidentiality agreement and he would not say Tuesday what Bradley’s guarantee will be.
“He’s such a likeable guy,” Arum said of Pacquiao. “He’s done things no one though was possible, coming from halfway across the world with nothing to gaining millions of fans worldwide and being a superstar. But is this truly his last fight? I can’t say with certainty that it is. So I’m leery of promoting it as the last chance to see Manny fight because in boxing, you never know.”
And while his promoter was speaking in cautious tones, Pacquiao sounded Tuesday like someone who is indeed walking away from boxing. He talked about life after the ring and his desire to win that Senate seat and help his countrymen even more.
“Helping my people and my country, that is the most important thing,” he said. “There are so many things that need to be done and I feel it is more important to serve my people and do it honestly, not in a corrupt way, than to continue boxing.”
Pacquiao said he’s come to terms with the fact he may never get another shot at Mayweather, who himself retired after defeating Andre Berto back in September..
“Yes, I have,” he said. “I’m ready to hang up the gloves. I’m sure I’ll feel sad after that. But that’s life.”
