Pacquiao vs Bradley: Fight Could Be Announced Two Days After Super Bowl XLVI
by Scott Christ on Feb 2, 2012 3:01 PM EST
in Boxing News Analysis
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Ronnie Nathanielsz reports that a fight between Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradly could be finalized this weekend and announced on Tuesday, two days after Super Bowl XLVI, and just days after Floyd Mayweather Jr announced his May 5 fight with Miguel Cotto.
Arum has already said that the Top Rank/HBO show this Saturday in San Antonio (Chavez vs Rubio) will serve as grounds to hammer out the deal between the two sides. Pacquiao won't be in attendance, but adviser Michael Koncz will be there on his behalf, and trainer Freddie Roach is already in town in Chavez's corner, too. Bradley's manager Cameron Dunkin is there, as he also manages Nonito Donaire, who faces Wilfredo Vazquez Jr in the HBO co-feature.
Pacquiao (54-3-2, 38 KO) and Bradley (28-0, 12 KO) are lined up mostly because Cotto balked at fighting Pacquiao at 147 pounds. Cotto was the first choice from Pacquiao and his team for a potential June 9 date, but the weight was a genuine issue, and the Puerto Rican instead chose to flex his free agent muscle and sign a fight with Mayweather at 154 pounds, with Floyd going up in weight for the bout.
It will be the first fight Cotto has had as a pro not under the Top Rank banner, and just the second time Mayweather has fought over 147 pounds. The first time was his record-setting win over Oscar De La Hoya in 2007.
Koncz is still hanging on to the idea that Bradley isn't for sure going to be Pacquiao's opponent, but the other available parties he's naming -- Juan Manuel Marquez and Lamont Peterson -- just aren't in the running anymore, unless something dramatically changes in the next few days. Marquez and Peterson may fight one another on July 14 at Cowboys Stadium, with the winner possibly facing the Pacquiao vs Bradley winner later this year, perhaps in November.
But Marquez for now refuses to fight Pacquiao in Nevada, where the fight is worth by far the most money at the gate, and Peterson isn't even sure he'll be fighting Marquez, as he and his manager/trainer Barry Hunter are both still strongly considering a rematch with Amir Khan. Offers to Peterson are on the table from both Golden Boy (Khan) and Top Rank (Marquez).
By process of elimination as much as anything, Bradley is the guy for Manny Pacquiao in June. But don't let that fool you, for Bradley is a legitimate risk for Pacquiao as the best 140-pound fighter in the world and a guy who is still in his prime years, waiting for that true breakout opportunity. This would be that opportunity.
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People are still talking about the Super Bowl a lot the day after? Sounds like basic news cycle stuff to me.
Yeah but it is still pretty much totally unrelated....
by Sweet science on Feb 2, 2012 3:39 PM EST up reply actions
One is about Americ footie
This is about boxing….. Its not in the same state….. Not on the same network…
by Sweet science on Feb 2, 2012 3:40 PM EST up reply actions
Hi Sweet science,
As a guy who runs a web site, I would be happy to explain this.
The term “Super Bowl” right now grabs attention.
There’s your answer.
I never lie about these things.
Bad Left Hook
"The internet has undermined professionalism in journalism, which is a good thing." - Bill James
You just got SEO served!
"The bell that tolls for all in boxing belongs to a cash register."
-Bob Verdi
It likely amounts to nothing. But it also hurts nothing.
Bad Left Hook
"The internet has undermined professionalism in journalism, which is a good thing." - Bill James
PPV and gate revenues
Bad Left Hook
"The internet has undermined professionalism in journalism, which is a good thing." - Bill James
Bradley by UD. Pacquiao by robbery…
"According to all the laws of aerodynamics the bumble-bee should not fly, but the bumble-bee does not know this and so flies anyway."
Down goes Timmy! down goes Timmy....
"Silence is golden when you can't think of a good answer"
---- Muhammed Ali
yes
Bad Left Hook
"The internet has undermined professionalism in journalism, which is a good thing." - Bill James
I give Bradley a legit shot against Pacquiao. Though Bradley’s best shot is by making it a very ugly fight in my opinion. The kind of fight that would lead Freddie Roach to claim that Bradley won by cheating and thus the result ’doesn’t count’.
Nobody will read this and care and why should they?
Would recommend his wins over Junior Witter (Witter could still fight then), Kendall Holt, Lamont Peterson, and Devon Alexander. Not all the prettiest wins in the world, but sort of gives the full look at him. And I thought the Holt fight was good, and the Peterson fight pretty good.
Bad Left Hook
"The internet has undermined professionalism in journalism, which is a good thing." - Bill James
I'm very happy...
…that this fight and Cotto-Mayweather will happen, because we all get to see fresh, intriguing matchups where the outcome isn’t completely obvious. But I don’t think anybody with only 12 KOs in 28 wins is gonna beat Pacquiao.
I don’t pick Bradley to win, but i don’t think his KO ratio has much to do with it.
It’s not like he’s feather fisted, and you don’t need to have a big punch to win a decision.
Bradley’s chance is through outworking Manny, and possibly outboxing him, imo.
"Leon Spinks is so ugly that when a tear rolls down his face, it only gets halfway, then it rolls back up" - Muhammad Ali.
But I think it helps to get Manny's respect with a decent punch first...
…just to make him hesitate, so that he’s not the one doing the “outworking.” Like I’ve said in a previous post, it looks to me like Bradley tries to load up on every punch (ironic in a light hitter) and that will put him off-balance and allow Manny to rattle off mutli-puch combos on him. I guess we’ll see!
He punches hard enough to have gained the respect of every one he has beat
Thus far…that has been hard enough.
Hatton wasn’t a big puncher per se but that kind of talented aggression and work rate can win a lot of fights.
"Silence is golden when you can't think of a good answer"
---- Muhammed Ali
Maybe...
…like a few other folks, I’m being fooled by his performance in the Casemayor bout. But I just didn’t see much there that night.
Casamayor doesn’t let you see much. Bradley is very, very good. He and Andre Ward are connected for me — I’ve had to purposely keep in mind how good they are when I’m watching them, because after it’s over, I don’t remember it being all that impressive. But every time out so far, they’ve both been dominant.
Bad Left Hook
"The internet has undermined professionalism in journalism, which is a good thing." - Bill James
As the days pass, Bradley – Peterson is getting to be a very very good victory for Bradley. He was completely dominant and put Peterson on his behind. After Bradley dominated Peterson, Lamont went on to tie Ortiz and beat Khan.
"The bell that tolls for all in boxing belongs to a cash register."
-Bob Verdi
I think Peterson has simply gotten better since his fight with Bradley which was a major jump in competition at the time. I would love to see a rematch.
@KoryKitchen32 on twitter
by Kory Kitchen on Feb 2, 2012 10:10 PM EST up reply actions
I never thought it was anything less than a very, very good win for him, but then I was one of the people who thought Peterson was going to be very dangerous for Khan.
Bad Left Hook
"The internet has undermined professionalism in journalism, which is a good thing." - Bill James
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