Manny Pacquiao, center left, and Timothy Bradley Jr. pose during a news conference in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016. Pacquiao and Bradley are scheduled to fight on April 9 in Las Vegas for Bradley’s WBO welterweight title. (AP Photo/Nick Ut)
Pardon please, but like it or not, the scheduled top world welterweight boxing clash in Las Vegas on April 9 also has the makings of a garage sale. Both main fighters, definitely not junk or worn-out, are checking in after having undergone serious repairs.
In street parlance, they also call this method recyling.
Filipino boxing superhero Manny Pacquiao is back from a much-publicized rotator cuff surgical repair. He allegedly incurred the injury in his May 2 loss against Floyd Mayweather Jr.
WBO welterweight champion Timothy Bradley, on the other hand, is all set to clash with Pacquiao for the third time, after getting a thorough fix and reformation in his boxing system.
* * *
Pacquiao-Bradley 3, which was taking hard to sell, has apparently started to draw some attention, thanks to the Bradley brag that he has undergone serious transformation under the famous trainer Teddy Atlas.
Bradley has gone on to claim he’s now a different and dangerous monster.
“Teddy Atlas is my secret weapon,” Bradley cried. He doesn’t start training until Feb. 15.
* * *
Pacquiao, which has pitched camp in GenSan, will be joined by trainer Freddie Roach in a few days. Roach’s first move after the link-up will be to check on the actual condition of Pacquiao’s right shoulder.
There were earlier insinuations Roach may delay, if not slow down training, if he finds Pacquiao’s shoulder not yet in perfect condition.
Of course, Roach has himself declared he would not be satisfied with anything less than a stoppage.
He predicted a ninth round KO for his most famous ward, an eight-division world title winner.
* * *
Meanwhile, it’s no secret how seriously Atlas has been tinkering with Bradley’s fighting style. Top Rank publicist Lee Samuels earlier bared Bradley, obviously already in good shape, has been locked in solemn sessions on technique and strategy with Atlas in their Palm Springs camp.
Although they’ve tried to keep everything a tight secret, there’s a popular feel Bradley is being trained to develop a sharper, more powerful punch that could be similar to the phantom shot thrown by Juan Manuel Marquez in stopping Pacquiao cold in 2012.
Pacquiao, although not too open about his plans, has gone on to say he would go for a resounding knockout.
They’ve been hotly selling a firefight, totally different from the first two lazy meetings between Pacquiao and Bradley.
But whether these bold sales lines have scored or found their mark won’t be determined until fight night in Las Vegas next April.