Pacquiao will not take Bradley lightly

By Boxing News - 02/09/2012 - Comments

Image: Pacquiao will not take Bradley lightlyBy John F. McKenna (McJack): World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao (54-3-2, 38 KO’s) is insisting that he will not take his next opponent WBO light welterweight champion Timothy Bradley (28-0, 12 KO’s) lightly.

Pacquiao and Bradley will clash on June 9 at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas. Oddsmakers have already installed “Pacman” as a 5 to 1 favorite in the match and Manny has faced some criticism from boxing pundits for taking on Bradley, who will be moving up from light welterweight to welterweight to take on Pacquiao.

Manny however expects a tough fight from the undefeated Bradley. “Desert Storm” as Bradley is known to his fans has faced stiff opposition in his quest to land a fight with the Filipino icon Manny Pacquiao. His past opponents include Nate Campbell, Devon Alexander, Lamont Peterson and Joel Casamayor. To date however Bradley has never faced a fighter with the explosive speed or power of Pacquiao.

Still many consider Bradley a dangerous opponent for Manny. Timothy is known for coming in head first and landing unintentional head butts on his opponents. A head butt for Pacquiao at this stage of his career could be particularly troublesome. In his last fight against Juan Manuel Marquez in November, Manny received a cut from an accidental butt that required 28 stitches to close. So taking on a fighter who is known for leading with his shaven head could be problematic and most certainly will be a chief concern of team Pacquiao.

Pacquiao’s long time trainer Freddie Roach has also expressed the concern that “Pacman” may have trouble getting himself motivated for an opponent like Bradley who is not known as one of the elite fighters today in boxing. Pacquiao however dispelled that notion when he said that he plans to train long and hard for Bradley. Manny has stated that he plans to train for 8 to 9 weeks with half the training to be done in Baguio Ciy in the Philippines and the other half at Freddie Roach’s Wild Card Gym in Hollywood.

Pacquiao will be looking to redeem himself to some extent against Bradley. Last May Manny defeated an over the hill Shane Mosley and succeeded in knocking him down, something boxing superstar Floyd Mayweather Jr. was unable to do. He failed however to score a hoped for knockout against Mosley. Last November Manny had one of the worst fights in his career against Juan Manuel Marquez. Pacquiao won a highly controversial decision in that fight and many boxing observers thought that he had clearly lost.



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