The moment Timothy Bradley has waited for his entire life has arrived.
The 28-year-old Bradley has been and is a world champion. But he’s never fought for the kind of big money he is tonight as he faces Manny Pacquiao at the MGM Grand Garden. Nor has he ever headlined a pay-per-view telecast.
Tonight, he gets to do both. He’ll receive a minimum of $5 million and he’ll be the co-star of the HBO PPV telecast.
“It’s not even a top-10 fight for Pacquiao,” said Bradley, the current WBO junior welterweight champion. “For me, it’s everything.
“I’m hoping he overlooks me, but I don’t think he’ll be complacent.”
Pacquiao promises he won’t be. It’s a big fight for him as well as he needs a spectacular performance after his last two fights were lackluster and he needs to put his critics at bay who believe that he is on the decline at age 33.
“I don’t think I’ve lost the fans’ trust,” said Pacquiao, whose WBO welterweight belt is at stake tonight and who will earn a minimum of $26 million. “But I know I need to be impressive.”
Pacquiao (54-3-2, 38 knockouts) was still a 4-1 betting favorite hours before stepping inside the ring. Bradley (28-0, one no decision, 12 KOs), loves being the underdog and he has comported himself throughout the promotion of the fight as someone with nothing to lose and everything to gain.
“I win this fight, it changes my life forever,” Bradley said. “I truly believe that hard work pays off and I’m ready for the fame and fortune that will come with beating Pacquiao. The endorsements? The commercials? Bring it on.”
Once the fight starts, the biggest concern is the possibility the two fighters will clash heads and possibly sustain cuts, which could impact the outcome. Pacquiao is a southpaw while Bradley is a conventional right-handed fighter and Bradley admitted it’s likely there could be contact with both fighters’ heads.
“It’s probably inevitable,” he said. “But I want to avoid it if possible. I don’t want there to be any excuses when I beat Pacquiao.”
Pacquiao said he trained specifically for Bradley’s head-first tactics and he believes the game plan he and trainer Freddie Roach have come up with will keep him out of harm’s way.
“We know what Bradley likes to do and we are prepared for it,” Pacquiao said.
The PPV telecast begins at 6 p.m. There are two world title fights before Pacquiao-Bradley as Guillermo Rigondeaux (9-0, 7 KOs) defends his WBA super bantamweight belt against Teon Kennedy (17-1-2, 7 KOs) while Mike Jones (26-0, 19 KOs) and Randall Bailey (41-7, 36 KOs) square off for the vacant IBF welterweight title.
In addition, veteran Jorge Arce (60-6-2, 46 Kos) faces Jesus Rojas (18-1-1, 13 KOs) in a 10-round junior featherweight bout.
Pacquiao and Bradley will not enter the ring until the conclusion of Game 7 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals between the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat. Tipoff for game 7 is approximately 5:40 p.m.
