As with any high-profile prize fight, there are several storylines and subplots surrounding this weekend?s Manny Pacquiao vs. Tim Bradley rematch at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.
All one has to do is take a look back as the first Pacquiao-Bradley match to get a sense of how high the emotions have been.
In June of 2012, Bradley handed Pacquiao his first defeat in seven years when he won a highly-controversial split-decision verdict over the Filipino icon.
Bradley?s trainer Joel Diaz was able to experience first-hand the kind of backlash that came from his fighter?s victory and you can tell it?s a feeling he doesn?t want to experience again.
?Man, it affected us emotionally really bad,? Diaz stated at the final Pacquiao-Bradley II presser. ?Because it just kept following us around. It?s like a ghost chasing you ya know? People don?t understand that we just come to work. People approached us as if we stole something from somebody. Like we?re the biggest thieves in the world.
?Now we are happy that we are back to set things straight,? Diaz added. ?We?re coming in to fight very, very strong and beat Manny Pacquiao more decisive.?
I asked Diaz what he has seen from each man during this fight week in Las Vegas and he seems to question what version of Pacquiao will enter the ring on Saturday.
?I don?t see that spark in Manny,? Diaz explained of the eight-division world champion. ?He?s a sleeping ogre but he?s going to wake up that night. We want the best Manny Pacquiao. Now that we are here, we don?t want no negative approaches going back home. At the end of the day, Timothy doesn?t get the credit.?
Diaz was even bold enough to suggest that Pacquiao is deserving of full glory if he can find a way to stop Bradley before twelve rounds are up.
?What we want is the best Manny Pacquiao there could possibly be,? Diaz explained. ?If he knocks out Timothy Bradley, you know what? He was the best man that night and we go home happy. We?d rather go home with a good defeat than go home with the controversy like the last time we went home.?
