HOLLYWOOD ? Boxer of the decade Manny Pacquiao was asked if there was anything from his first fight against WBO champion Timothy Bradley that would give him concern.
Pacquiao, a man of few words took time to ponder the question. Then he gave a short response.
“No, nothing,” Pacquiao said.
In the first fight, Bradley walked away with a split decision and the WBO belt in what fans and a large contingent of media felt Pacquiao dominated.
The two fighters will hold a rematch on April 12 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in a pay-per-view fight.
After the first fight, Pacquiao said he felt he dominated the bout and didn’t have any problems against Bradley.
Trainer Freddie Roach said Pacquiao took his foot off the break in the second half of the fight, electing to engage in the final minute of each round rather than fight all three minutes of each round.
Roach’s account and the fact Pacquiao has not had a knockout since 2009 had some question if Pacquiao lost his edge.
And then Bradley did it publicly when they launched the promotion of the fight in February. In an HBO “Face Off” interview, Bradley said to Pacquiao directly that he lost his fire and he wasn’t getting it back.
“It doesn’t bother me. It helped me. It inspired me and encouraged me to work hard, to prove to him that I still have the killer instinct he’s talking about, the aggressiveness,” Pacquiao said. “It’s good for me.”
