Perhaps their break-up wasn’t cordial after all.
Joel Diaz, who mentored Tim Bradley for nearly the latter’s entire boxing career, slammed his former pupil earlier this week.
When asked to give his thoughts on Pacquiao vs Bradley 3, Diaz uttered:
“There are always possibilities [of an upset] with a top level fighter as disciplined as Tim Bradley. He is a top level fighter who leaves nothing out [in training camp] and prepares very strong,” Diaz told ESPN Deportes. “But the statistics of boxing and logic tells us that if Bradley fought Pacquiao ten times – he would not win. Pacquiao has already figured him out, he has his number.”
Ouch!
Of course, Tim Bradley and Joel Diaz split in September leading the former to hire Teddy Atlas.
Has the truth come out or is Diaz firing back at Bradley who had been hinting he was strategically ill-prepared when he fought Manny the first two times?
Earlier this week, Bradley told BoxingScene: “The difference this time around is that I have a game plan,? Bradley said. ?I really do have a game plan.”
‘There?s a lot of things that I didn?t see before in watching film and breaking film down that Teddy has brought to my attention. So I feel this is going to be a completely different fight than the first two.?
“Teddy can instill everything that I need for the fight and show me everything that I need to win this fight.”
No wonder Diaz is probably a bit sore. He brought Tim from ground zero and helped make him one of the top fighters in the world.
Has Teddy Atlas made Tim a much better fighter?
… Or did the ol’ trainer confirm something many had already been thinking?
Manny Pacquiao vs Tim Bradley is on April 9.
