Deep in his heart, Tim Bradley swears he knows he beat Manny Pacquiao in their first encounter in June 2012.
That was not easy to accept because, in the eyes of the boxing world, there was a crying denial of what Bradley proudly trumpets.
There’s a revolting unanimity Bradley had been rewarded a win through the dirtiest decision in modern boxing.
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Anyway, Bradley claiming Pacquiao can never recover his original hunger, said he’s deeply motivated.
He explained: “This is for the people, this is for the world; so I can walk down the road and people will say, ‘Damn, you beat Manny Pacquiao!’”
Bradley would never admit this but deep in his mind—if not in his heart—he also doubted if he had really beaten Pacquiao.
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In fairness to Mr. Bradley, he has promised to erase the stigma of that shameful robbery when he clashes with Pacquiao a second time on April 12 in Las Vegas.
Bradley swore there’s no way he could lose. Reason: Pacquiao has lost two vital win-win ingredients.
“He has lost his killer instinct, and I don’t think his original hunger is coming back,” Bradley said during a face-off before media people in Beverley Hills, California yesterday.
“I’m more mature, a lot smarter than when we first fought,” Bradley added.
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Pacquiao, for his part, calmly admitted a misgiving in the first encounter.
“I wasn’t fully motivated when I was training for our first fight,” Pacquiao said.
He said he didn’t take Bradley “seriously enough.”
Yesterday, Pacquiao swore he’s as hungry as ever.
“I want my title back, I’m prepared to endure my hardest training camp.”
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All told, it boils down to who would be truly and honestly motivated between the two protagonists.
Avoiding a defeat could also be factored in, considering that, as the famous novelist Ivan Goldman noted, a loss for Pacquiao “puts his career on life support.”
Unlike in the first Pacquiao-Bradley bout, branded as a stinker by Goldman, there looms the promise of a delectable fistic feast come April 12 at the MGM Grand Las Vegas.
The hungrier, the better for the one who should win it.
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KUYA MILO: The best thing that happened to Manny Pacquiao in his fight against Brandon Rios was in having progressed into a more mature, well-rounded boxer, as shown in his newfound defensive dexterity. A Pacquiao devotee greatly rewarded by Pacquiao’s transformation was Camilo Ahillion, an all-around athlete during his youth in Vergara, Mandaluyong, close to the Pasig River. Kuya Milo, 80, passed away on Monday. He toiled in the Middle East for many hard years to see his three kids through college. He was a strong influence in this reporter’s career and upbringing, having taught me how to swim, drive a vehicle, fish from a rigless banca in the Pasig. He also lent me priceless tales. His remains will be at the Our Lady of Light Parish Church in Cainta starting today. He has a wish to be buried in his birthplace.