By Yannis Mihanos: In boxing and life in general there are some things that can bring the best of us out. t=There are also some things that can bring out the worst of us. Those things are called triggers. Those triggers can be anywhere.
On April 12 in Las Vegas, Nevada a boxing fight will take place. It’s the long awaited rematch between WBO welterweight titleholder Timothy Bradley (31-0, 12 KO) and Manny Pacquiao (55-5-2, 38 KO’s).
In brief, the last 2 fights of both fighters were as following: Tim Bradley had to go through hell in order to get a victory over Ruslan Provodnikov last year in March. Following that, Bradley defeated Juan Manuel Marquez by a relatively easy victory by avoiding his shots for most of the fight. I guess the punishment from Provodnikov was enough to make Bradley change plans and fight smart against Marquez.
On the other hand, Pacquiao had a traumatic experience when he was caught by a right hand from Marquez and got knocked out in the 6th round in their last fight together in December of 2012. That was the defining moment for Marquez and his long career. That said, in boxing anybody can get caught. It just happens. Last November, Pacquiao had an easier fight against a very slow Brandon Rios last November in Macau, China. All Pacquiao had to do was hit and avoid getting hit back.
Pacquiao has yet to score a stoppage in one of his fights since 2009 when he halted Miguel Cotto in the 12th round. Being a congressman and carrying many responsibilities has clearly distracted Pacquiao . He also appears more humble and kind person in public.
That to some has been seen as a weakness. In his recent press conference, Bradley highlighted the fact that Pacquiao is no longer the same fighter. He is no longer the hungry fighter that once was.
But Bradley should have kept that opinion to himself because unknowingly he might have reactivated the killer instinct in Pacquiao. You see certain words can work as triggers to certain people.
Pacquiao appears in training more determined and aggressive than ever; maybe his killer instinct has been reactivated. His long time coach Freddie Roach believes it too. He sees that each day in the training.
Will we see the real Pacquiao on April 12? If yes, then sBradley will regret talking so much.
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