Manny Pacquiao vs Timothy Bradley Jr – ready to rumble!
Junior welterweight titleholder Timothy Bradley Jr. and Top Rank, his promoter, wrapped up their agreement as he signed a contract to challenge welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao on June 9 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Reduced Juice Discounts
The fight comes as no great bomshell. Bradley had been one particular of the number 1 names to face Pacquiao and although Pacquiao has not yet signed the documentation, his agent, Michael Koncz, said he had committed to the pay-per-view fight.
Although Bradley will be moving up to the 147-pound division for the fight – there is no catch weight – he is about the same size as Pacquiao and has fought in the division before, including two fights gone when he outpointed Luis Carlos Abregu in a nontitle bout in July 2010. Discount Vig Betting
At 28 and in his prime, Bradley, who is fast and skilled but lacks power, potentially poses more danger to Pacquiao than any one of his fresh competitors.
“It’s an especially tough fight. Stylistically, Timmy poses a real threat,” Top Rank president Todd duBoef related. “I think Timmy is an amazingly talented fighter. He has fast hands, fast feet, he is undefeated and he doesn’t know the simplest way to lose. Tim Bradley is a winner. Manny must be on top of his game towards Tim Bradley, who is in his prime.
Manny has always taken on those challenges.”
Bradley will make a career-high $5 million minimum purse.
“Manny and his team know that in order to put on these big events you need the most talented fighters in the world and tournament, and that’s why he compliment all of his opponents and what they bring to the table,” duBoef declared.
Bradley was one of 5 opponents who were in the mix to fight Pacquiao. There was, naturally, Floyd Mayweather Jr, whose suggested fight with Pacquiao is the most important in the sport, but has languished for at least 2 years as the sides have put one road block in front of each other after another. The probability of Pacquiao-Mayweather was again put on hold when Mayweather told earlier in the month that he would move up to junior middleweight to test titleholder Miguel Cotto on May 5, also at the MGM Grand.
The other adversaries Top Rank had debated with Pacquiao (54-3-2, 38 KOs), 33, were Juan Manuel Marquez (for a 4th fight), Cotto (for a rematch, though they could never consent on the weight) and junior welterweight titleholders Bradley and Lamont Peterson.
Peterson was knocked out of the running recently when Top Rank commenced discussing a fight between him and Marquez. Ultimately, Peterson signed for a rematch with Amir Khan.
With Pacquiao not was prepared to fight Marquez in an instant rematch of their tight fight in Nov. that left Bradley, who had signed last year with Top Rank with the express aspiration of placing himself for a fight with Pacquiao.
“In Timmy Bradley, you are dealing with an excellent fighter,” duBoef said. “He’s a master fighter in the 140-pound division and he’s on everyone’s pound-for-pound list in the top 5 to 10. He had a destruction of Peterson (in a one-sided decision in Dec.2009). He played with Peterson, who just defeated Khan, and I was on the other end in that fight because I was Peterson’s promoter. Follow-up – Timmy Bradley is an excellent fighter.”