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Bradley’s ripped and ‘ready’ for Pacquiao

Fighters Network
24
May

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When it comes to WBO welterweight belt owned by Manny Pacquiao, WBO junior welterweight titleholder Tim Bradley told media members on Thursday that he already has seen enough.

“I am so ready, I am no longer watching Paquiao video. Nothing about Pacquio concerns me anymore. I am that ready,” said Bradley, during an open workout at the Indio Boys and Girls Club in Indio, Calif. “I am on weight, primed and ready. I have just a few more rounds of sparring  and that is it.”

Bradley (28-0, 12 knockouts) displayed a chisled upper torsoe and supreme confidence during the session in advance of his June 9 clash with Pacquiao (54-3-2, 38 KOs) that will be televised on HBO Pay Per View from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.



“He looked sensational,” said Top Rank CEO Bob Arum of Bradley. “He just looked very very fresh.”

Bradley signed a contract with Top Rank Inc., in late September of last year, and debuted with the company by scoring an eighth-round stoppage over southpaw former four-time titleholder and Cuban Olympic gold medalist Joel Casamayor.

The win over Casamayor was accomplished on the undercard of Pacquiao’s disputed majority decision victory over Juan Manuel Marquez in November.

Along with a victory over that dethroned Devon Alexander as WBC junior welterweight beltholder by 11th-round technical decision in January of last year, Bradley will be facing his third consecutive left-hander in Pacquiao.

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Bradley scored another big win over Lamont Peterson, whom Bradley dropped in the third round of a clash of unbeatens for a unanimous decision win in December of 2009.

After defeating Peterson, Bradley rose to the welterweight division for a bout in July of 2010, where he vanquished hard-hitting, sometime junior middleweight, Luis Carlos Abregu, who entered the fight with a record of 29-1 that included 23 stoppages.

Bardley earned a unanimous decision by the scores of 116-112, 117-111 and 118-110, respectively, over Abregu, who has since raised his record to 31-1 with 25 stoppages.

“I kicked some butt tonight, baby. I beat one of the best welterweights out there. He’s a hard puncher. I’m a 140-pounder moving up to 147 pounds. He swore that he was going to knock me out, but it didn’t happen tonight, baby,” said Bradley after the victory over Abregu.

“My corner told me to calm down in there when I hurt him and not to rush things. A hurt snake is a dangerous snake, and he strikes back even when he’s hurt. I felt his power a little bit. I’m making the challenge right now. Manny Pacquiao, come break down this wall, baby. Manny, come break down this wall.”

Pacquiao will get that chance on June 9, and Arum says Bradley appears to be ready for the challenge.

“Tim Bradley is so confident that it’s scary. I mean, he is absolutely 100 percent convinced that he’s winning the fight,” said Arum. “We want a guy to in with a lot of confidence, and, so far, from what I’ve seen, this will be the greatest possible fight.”

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Although Bradley called Pacquiao “small” and “tiny” as well as “beatable” during a recent interview with RingTV.com, Pacquiao’s five-time Trainer of the Year, Freddie Roach, has said that his fighter will have no problem dispatching of Bradley.

“I think that Manny will beat Tim Bradley pretty easily,” said Roach, who compared Bradley to Pacquiao’s second-round knockout victim, Ricky Hatton. “Bradley got mad when I said that he’s no better than Ricky Hatton, but he’s never impressed me.”

But Bradley’s trainer, Joel Diaz, said that his fighter will prove Roach wrong.

“I have no problem seeing Freddie Roach face to face,” said Diaz, “and telling him how Tim Bradley is going to win on June 9.”

 

 

Photos by Chris Farina, Top Rank

Lem Satterfield can be reached at [email protected]

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