Bradley gears up for Pacquiao rematch
By Bev Llorente, ABS-CBN News North America
INDIO, California – With his April 12 rematch against Filipino boxing legend Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao drawing near, unbeaten American Timothy Bradley Jr. is stepping up his training as he prepares to defend his WBO welterweight belt.
“I’m doing fantastic in the first week of camp,” Bradley said. “I haven’t been to the gym since the (Juan Manuel) Marquez fight, but I feel like I never left. I feel pretty good.”
“The weight is fine, the weight is not an issue at all. I’m not as big as I was when I started with the Marquez fight,” he added.
Bradley feels his upcoming rematch against Pacquiao will convince the boxing world that he is a true champion.
“I fought Manny once before, and I beat him. This time, I have to beat him convincingly enough, where the public and the world of boxing can say that hey, I officially got the win in their eyes and in their book,” Bradley said.
“That’s what this fight is all about for me – about redemption, about getting the credit that I didn’t get in the first fight, and I’m willing to go to hell and back to get it,” he added.
Bradley added that he needed to defeat Juan Manuel Marquez before he faces off with the Pacman, because Marquez was the boxer who knocked out Pacquiao.
He also recalled that fighting the Mexican legend was a “piece of cake.”
“We need each other right now. Pacquiao needs me just as much as I need him, and I think it will be great for our careers, because Pacquiao right now has to rebuild his status as a superstar in boxing,” he said.
The Pacquiao-Bradley rematch will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas in seven weeks’ time.
Top Rank has confirmed that the tickets for the Pacquiao-Bradley rematch are almost sold out.