Cry me a river, cry me a desert storm, but no matter what WBO welterweight belt awardee Timothy Bradley says, he has only himself to blame for not landing a rematch with Manny Pacquiao this winter… or whoever his PR advisor is.
How many “champions” have you seen so distraught over not getting a rematch in a fight they “supposedly” won? Tim dropped the ball, and now it’s not going to be as merry a Christmas as it could’ve been for the Bradley household in Palm Springs.
How so?
Okay… In a fight that the world saw as a clear win for Pacquiao, Bradley insisted that he CLEARLY won and even took some shots at Pacquiao. This only infuriated Pacquiao and his many fans, who felt that they do not need to prove anything anyway since the fight was one-sided enough in their favor. And then Bradley just kept the trash talk coming, saying Pacquiao is coward if he didn’t pursue a rematch on top of criticizing him as a fighter.
Take note: Bradley needs Pacquiao, because Pacquiao is the cash cow. No Manny, no money. Let me ask you something, do you insult your boss when you want a raise? You don’t, dummy. With the world in agreement that Pacquiao steadily bested Bradley, the Filipino icon had nothing to prove. And the fact that Pacquiao-Bradley didn’t do so well in the gates and in the PPV, didn’t help Bradley’s case either.
What Bradley could’ve done was to have taken the “high road” and appeal to Pacquiao’s integrity and sympathy. He could’ve said. “Okay Manny, it was a close fight, and I understand the fans are mad. Because I’m all about fairness and class, I’ll give up the belt, but I want to challenge you to a rematch to fight for it and see who truly deserves it.”
That could’ve changed people’s sentiments a bit. Here’s a classy guy who won a controversial won, but is willing to give up his belt and fight for it fair and square. But instead, what did Bradley do? He insulted Pacquiao, and insisted on a win that the world didn’t see. Apparently, he hasn’t stopped either. Bradley wasn’t able to hold back his dismay upon hearing the news that Pacquiao has chosen a fourth fight with arch-nemesis Juan Manuel Marquez.
Bradley’s rant on The Desert Sun went:
? “I can’t believe these guys. He didn’t want any part of me. Marquez is an easier fight. He knows that a fight with me and two good legs is going to be hell. I can’t believe it. Any champion who lost his belt, you would want to redeem yourself.”
… “What the public needs to know is Pacquiao, their No. 1 dude, doesn’t care about his loss. You need to redeem yourself because Tim Bradley beat you. You need to come back and redeem that loss. In my eyes, chicken shit, chicken, chicken, chicken. I’m too much for these boys, man.”
Timmy, Timmy… Pacquiao doesn’t respond to trash talk like a 10-year-old. When are you going to learn that this silly tactic doesn’t work? I hope that WBO belt keeps you warm at night.
