MANILA, Philippines – Former two-time world champion Gerry Pe?alosa said yesterday Tim Bradley should be easy to beat but WBO welterweight titlist Manny Pacquiao must take his training seriously to get the job done when they clash in a scheduled 12-round bout at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on June 9.
Pe?alosa, who retired from the ring in 2010 after compiling a 55-8-2 record, with 37 KOs, said Bradley is tailor-made for Pacquiao. ?Manny has difficulty fighting a taller opponent,? he said. ?Bradley is shorter than Manny. He?s wide open when he attacks and Manny likes to counterpunch. Bradley doesn?t fight like (Juan Manuel) Marquez. He?ll come in and Manny will be waiting for him.?
Another drawback in Bradley is his lack of power. If Pacquiao realizes he can take Bradley?s punch, there won?t be stopping the Filipino icon in bulldozing his way through the Desert Storm?s porous defense. Bradley has scored only one knockout in his last 10 outings and that was over an over-the-hill, 40-year-old Joel Casamayor who later tested positive for marijuana. Besides, Bradley appears to be a natural lightwelterweight and the last time Pacquiao faced a 140-pounder, Ricky Hatton was poleaxed in two rounds.
Pe?alosa said if Pacquiao isn?t motivated to train hard or takes pity on Bradley, he may be in for trouble. ?In boxing, it?s important to stay hungry because if you lose your hunger, you lose your edge,? said Pe?alosa. ?I?ll admit that in my last few fights, I wasn?t as hungry as I was when I was fighting for my first championship. An example of a hungry fighter is Silvester Lopez. He?s now ranked No. 1 superflyweight by the WBC. You can see how hungry he is, the way he stopped (Oscar) Ibarra, then the No. 1 contender, in Mexico last year. I don?t know if Manny is still hungry with what he has accomplished in his career. All I know is when Manny fights, he fights for our country and that?s what motivates him.?
Pe?alosa said Pacquiao will be out to prove he deserves to be the world?s No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter against Bradley. ?He wasn?t the same devastating fighter against (Sugar Shane) Mosley and he had a hard time against Marquez,? said Pe?alosa. ?That?s why I think Manny will come out strong against Bradley. He?ll want to show the world he?s still No. 1, he?s still the same Manny Pacquiao. There are other fighters climbing the world?s pound-for-pound ratings like Nonito Donaire. I?m sure Manny will want to prove he?s still the best out there.?
Pe?alosa confirmed that Pacquiao is now a changed man. ?No more gambling, no more late nights,? he said. ?Manny is a different person. He has rediscovered himself as a family man, sleeping early, spending time with Jinkee and the kids. He gave away his fighting cocks, like over a thousand. He reads, studies and learns from the Bible every day. Over a week ago, he shot a commercial for Phoenix Oil at FTI in Taguig. The call time was 11 a.m. and he arrived at the set five minutes early. When there was down time, he read the Bible with Jeric Soriano (actor Nestor de Villa?s son) whose son Paul directed the shoot. Manny worked like a real professional all the way until the shooting ended at 10 p.m. He has big plans in politics and I think the change will prepare him for the future.?
As for fighting Floyd Mayweather Jr., Pe?alosa said they?ll eventually face off because the money is just too big to resist and it?s the fight the whole world wants to see. ?I think Manny will tell Mayweather forget it if he continues to play hard to get,? said Pe?alosa. ?It could be a bluff or not. But if Manny turns away, you can be sure that Mayweather will come calling. He knows there?s no other opponent who can give him a bigger paycheck. It will come down to how much the fight is worth.?
Bradley, 28, is credited for being the first to beat Devon Alexander, Carlos Abregu and Amir Khan?s tormentor Lamont Peterson. He said his toughest opponent so far was Peterson whom he floored once enroute to scoring a unanimous 12-round decision in 2009. ?I don?t really get too nervous for my fights but this was one I got nervous for,? said Bradley. ?I hadn?t felt like that in a long time. I felt like I did for my first amateur fights because I knew I was fighting a guy who has a good team behind him, someone with skills and I knew he was going to bring it. And he did. Those body shots he landed, those were some good body shots. I planned to come out and press him and work his body but that?s what he did to me so I had to change my gameplan and box him. It was without question the toughest fight of my career. It was a gut check. He made me fight and he made me do things in there that I normally don?t do.?
A former amateur standout, Bradley is known to rely on his boxing skills to neutralize an opponent who likes to brawl. Top Rank had this scouting report on his strengths: ?Has good skills and movement?physically strong, is always in top condition and has great stamina and recuperative ability?a sharp, accurate puncher, a good body puncher, is versatile in the ring ? can pressure his opponent or box, move and counterpunch?is experienced against very good opposition, has a strong amateur background.?
