Manny Pacquiao Next Fight: Timothy Bradley Expects Third Bout Against Filipino Rival
World Boxing Organization welterweight title holder Timothy Bradley is expecting a third bout against Filipino rival Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao.
Bradley's trainer, Joel Diaz, confirmed the boxer's anticipation to face the 36-year-old boxing icon who served him his only loss in his boxing career.
"Anything can be possible. Anything can be possible, and don't get me wrong because Tim at one point in his career after he lost to Pacquiao the second fight he said, 'If I get that WBO title, Manny is going to come back to me again.' He doesn't doubt it, and I don't doubt it," Diaz told On the Ropes Boxing radio.
The trainer acknowledged that his fighter and Pacquiao had a controversial fight during their first bout but Bradley gave a great performance in the second fight. Diaz even stated that the "Bradley-Pacquiao 2 was a more exciting fight than Mayweather-Pacquiao" so fans will likely support the boxers' third match should it happen. After all, Pacquiao had fought with Mexican superstar Juan Manuel Marquez four times.
In 2012, Bradley won via a split decision over Pacquiao and was proclaimed the new WBO welterweight champion. Two years after, Pacman was able to avenge his controversial loss and got back the honor of being the welterweight title holder via a unanimous decision.
Unfortunately, Pacquiao was defeated by Floyd Mayweather Jr. in their clash at the MGM Grand Arena on May 2. Although Mayweather gained the WBO title, he was stripped of it because he was not able to pay the required sanctioning fee. Thus, Bradley, who was the interim champion for the weight division when he triumphed over Jessie Vargas in June, is the rightful champion now.
Title defense before anything else
The Pacquiao-Bradley fight may be proposed by their respective camps next year as the former eight-division champion is still recovering from a shoulder injury he got during his training against Mayweather. Negotiations for the match may also be relatively easier than Bradley's attempt to have a fight with Mayweather or even Gennady Golovkin because Pacquiao and Bradley have the same promoter, Top Rank founder Bob Arum.
But Pacquiao may still need to iron out his relationship with Arum who was overly disappointed when "Pacman" cancelled his appointment with his U.S. surgeon, reported ABS-CBN News Network.
Meanwhile, Bradley must still prepare himself for a possible title defense this fall. He could be set for a showdown with Sadam Ali, noted Boxing Scene in another report.
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