Will Manny Pacquiao-Timothy Bradley III stand out as a fight on its own, or is it a step toward MayPac II? Although choosing his third fight against Bradley as his last before retirement, Pacquiao told the Philippine press he’d be open for a comeback.
The matchup itself did not excite boxing fans at first. There’s no title on the line. Both welterweights have scored a victory against the other, but as commentator Jim Lampley put it, the split decision favoring Bradley in their 2012 clash was “widely criticized as one of the most misguided decisions in recent boxing history.” The rivalry between the trainers has been hyped, but it’s really former commentator Teddy Atlas who stirred the pot years before he signed on to direct Bradley’s regimen for retiring Pacquiao with a loss.
Atlas openly insinuated that Pacquiao used banned substances to acquire size earlier in his career. Freddie Roach has adamantly defended Pacquiao against doping accusations in the past, but hasn’t broached the subject in his recent comments on Atlas. The trainer factor comes down to whether what Atlas brings to the table makes a winner out of Bradley, who ended Pacquiao's seven-year winning streak with the split decision. Whether Pacquiao makes a comeback if he loses the election might be the bigger question, but first he has to best Bradley once more.
MGM Grand, 3 p.m. April 9, $154-$1,254 plus tax and fee. 800.745.3000 Ticketmaster
