Pacquiao, Bradley shoot fight commercial

AP file Photo

MANILA, Philippines — Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley met again in Los Angeles Monday (Tuesday in Manila), but not to taunt or confront each other.

They were civil and appeared dapper in their business suits, so unlike the boxing trunks sports fans are used to seeing them wear in the ring.

The Filipino icon and the American WBO welterweight champion are in Beverly Hills to do a commercial shoot, which is part of a promotional blitz for their grudge rematch on April 12 in Las Vegas.

In their first meeting on June 9, 2012, Bradley was rewarded with a widely lambasted split decision.

At lunchtime Tuesday, they will be together again at Beverly Hills hotel Los Angeles to answer media queries for the first part of their two-city promo tour intended to drum up interest for Pacquiao-Bradley II, which is going to be shown on HBO Pay-Per-View.

They will fly to New York Wednesday and will face the press once again Thursday, with both fighters expected to give their perspective of what to expect in their return showdown at the MGM Grand.

Taking advantage of the Wednesday break, Pacquiao, who has been installed a 2-1 favorite over Bradley, intends to watch the New York Knicks tangle with the Portland Trail Blazers at Madison Square Garden.

Pacquiao, the lone representative of Sarangani Province, said he’ll start preparing for Bradley at Wild Card Gym in General Santos City upon his return to the country next week.

Pacquiao plans to train five weeks in his hometown, before wrapping up training camp at Wild Card Gym in Hollywood.