Will it indeed be Manny Pacquiao for Tim Bradley’s next opponent, although the reigning and newly confirmed WBO welterweight champion had called out on Floyd Mayweather Jr. after his close win over Juan Manuel Marquez?
The man on the street feels the rematch would be a good one, now that Bradley has aptly legitimized his reign as welterweight division king.
Of course, Pacquiao has to first clear out the road when he collides with tough, younger Brandon Rios in Macau next month.
Truth is that there has loomed an even bigger obstacle to the desired Pacquiao-Bradley rematch.
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First things first.
Further thoughts on Pacquiao-Bradley II will have to give way to serious concerns over the honest worth of this weekend’s high-altitude showdown between Mike Alvarado and Ruslan Provodnikov in Denver.
Weren’t the previous two major promotions–Mayweather-Alvarez and Bradley-Marquez—also peddled as sizzling gladiatorial combats but which, unfortunately, failed to live up to the hype?
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Just like that pair of big bouts, Alvarado-Provodnikov also has all the makings of a first-class, hi-octane slugfest.
Both Ruslan Provodnikov and Mike Alvarado are certified devil-may-care sluggers.
They are tabbed to duel to the finish—with fury and blood on the side—for the world light welterweight (140-lb) crown.
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A little flashback:
There was promise of a first-class fight theater in the Mayweather-Alvarez bout that lured a record world audience.
Sorry, but with the seasoned Mayweather proving too slippery, smooth and sharp, the bout slipped early into a tasteless mismatch.
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There was a difference, but with Bradley scoring a minor upset by outfoxing the foxy Marquez in his own turf, last weekend’s mainer in Las Vegas also failed to deliver an unforgettable result.
The fight audience indeed has had more than enough.
And the prizefight world—mainly the promoters—pins its hopes on this weekend’s Alvarado-Provodnikov war.
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Of course, the certainty of a blood-and-gore duel has been diminished following the claim by Alvarado that he can’t be expected to bang it up with his ax-wielding Russian foe all night long.
Alvarado said he would defend well, select his spots, instead of do it like Bradley, who barely survived Provodnikov’s bludgeon attack in their last fight.
That said, Pacquiao’s fight against Rios next month promises to be a good fallback, if and when Alvarado-Provodnikov falls short.
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The way he has been preparing, Pacquiao can only be expected to soar and sizzle like the original Pacific Storm come Nov. 24 in Macau.
Meanwhile, promoter Bob Arum has been quoted as saying it would not be wise to expect an immediate Pacquiao-Bradley showdown.
Based on their last fight, Arum said the styles of the two warriors don’t make for a good, profitable theater.
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(HEARTLESS SSS: Just like most everybody else, my friend Ted Tiu, God-loving sportsman, wonders what’s so special with officials of the Social Security System (SSS) who receive millions in bonuses. “Why don’t they instead increase the pensions of poor people like me,” Tiu cries. “I contributed for almost 30 years and yet my pension is only P2,904.00 a month. I am 72 and my monthly medicine after my angioplasty in 2008 totals P10,000 a month.”)