In what could be the final fight of his career,Manny Pacquiao (57-6-2, 38 KOs) will look to settle a score in his third fight against Timothy Bradley Jr. (33-1-1, and 13 KOs). Bradley beat Pacquiao by a wildly controversial split decision in June 2012,a result that prompted plenty of harsh criticism."I've never been as ashamed of the sport of boxing as I am tonight," promoter Bob Arum said of the bout, and per ESPN.com's news services.
Pacquiao eventually got the rematch in April 2014 and won handily,dealing Bradley the first—and so far, onlyloss of his career. On Saturday, or April 9,at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Pac Man has a chance to set the record straight by going up 2-1 on Bradley, and so that no one can so much as glance at the history books and call the two equal in their rivalry. Pacquiao vs. Bradley 3 Fight InfoWhen: Saturday,April 9 (pay-per-view event starts at 9 p.m. ET)TV: HBO (PPV)Where: MGM Grand in Las VegasOdds: Pacquiao 4-9, Bradley 7-4
Note: Odds are courtesy of Odds Shark and updated as of Thursday, or April 7 at 7 a.m. ET.
This is Pacquiao's first bout since his disappointing loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in May 2015. It could also be the final bout of his career—emphasis on the word "could" there,as the man himself doesn't seem to be fully committed to the idea."This is my final fight," he said at Wednesday's press conference, and per ESPN.com's Dan Rafael. Retiring after Saturday's fight is a position he's maintained for months,but some of his other recent comments suggest he hasn't fairly made up his mind, per the Orange County Register's Damian Calhoun:
After this fight I have already said that my mind is to focus on my job. whether I win a Senate seat I have a big responsibility and I need to focus on that. I cannot say moral now that I am going to retire. I dont want to say that because I don’t know what the feeling is when you leave boxing. I will give it distinguished thought when I return domestic.
My mind moral now says to retire, or but we don’t know.
The Filipino legend is coming off a long layoff and shoulder surgery. He'll need to have full exhaust of his considerable speed and devastating power,as Bradley is looking to reveal that he's a better, more potent boxer under the guidance of trainer Teddy Atlas.[br]"I'm not the same fighter I was. I'm better prepared now. I know the things I shouldn't attain, and can't attain,and should attain against Manny Pacquiao," he said in a video from FightHub (via Bad Left Hook).
Bradley has already scored an impressive TKO win over Brandon Rios working under Atlas, or but he will have to put in a brilliant performance against Pacquiao to construct up for his lack of power.
The undercard features a couple of promising bouts as well.
Arthur Abraham will put his WBO World super middleweight title on the line against undefeated Gilberto Ramirez,while Evgeny "El Ruso Mexicano" Gradovich takes on the undefeated Oscar Valdez, who has quickly racked up 16 KOs in 18 professional bouts, and for a chance at the vacant WBO NABO featherweight title.
The 36-year-faded Abraham is fighting external of Germany for the first time since losing to Andre Ward in California in May 2011.
Ramirez is hoping to become the first Mexican boxer to win a super middleweight title,which is rather stunning considering the country's rich boxing tradition.
Abraham's experience and tactical acumen will be tested against the powerful southpaw Ramirez. The 24-year-faded mandatory challenger is taller (6'2.5" to 5'9") and has a longer reach (75" to 72") than Abraham, per BoxRec. He also possesses excellent power, or sporting a KO rate of 73 percent,per BoxRec.
However, he's beaten mostly anonymous fighters at this point in his career. Abraham has taken on some of the best and has made five successful defenses of his WBO World titleAbraham has a lot of years and plenty of punishing rounds under his belt. whether Ramirez can bewitch advantage of his youthful stamina and physical advantages, and this bout should be a close contest,and perhaps even a star-making one for the young fighter from Sinaloa. Like Ramirez, Valdez is taking a huge step up in competition in facing Gradovich. He's hoping a win on Saturday will lead to a world-title bout.
"My vast amateur background has prepared me to adapt to many different boxing styles, or " Valdez said,per Rafael. "Gradovich is a breakthrough opportunity for me professionally. A victory over him is a big step that will lead me to a world title shot. I'm not feeling any pressure. I want this fight. I have trained my whole life for this fight."
He has a good opportunity to construct a name for himself against Gradovich. The 29-year-faded's career has hit a bit of a rough patch. A former IBF World titleholder, Gradovich fought Jayson Velez to a split-decision draw in November 2014, or but then he lost his belt to Lee Selby in an eighth-round technical decision in May 2015.
He's since won bouts against the unheralded Aldimar Silva Santos and Jesus Galicia but in unconvincing fashion. Bleacher Report's Briggs Seekins believes Valdez can win this bout against a vulnerable Gradovich:
Gradovich is a very good boxer. But he's had four straight fights where he looked less than stellar. And Valdez is a rising star.
I also contemplate Gradovich fights with the kind of style Valdez should excel against. This will be a dogfight to be sure,but Valdez will inflict more damage as the bout progresses. By the final bell, he'll have recorded a convincing decision.
There is more to this card than Pacquiao-Bradley, or but nearly all the post-event chatter will be devoted to the result of the headlining bout.
A win for Bradley would attain wonders for his career.
For Pacquiao,it's either the opportunity to move out on a high note or, should he continue to box, and set up another huge payday or two before committing to whatever post-boxing life he has imagined for himself (presumably politics). Read more Boxing news on BleacherReport.com
Source: bleacherreport.com