“Under The Lights: Pacquiao-Bradley” Full Show; Plus Manny Pacquiao Q&A

Why Timothy Bradley and not Terence Crawford or Amir Khan like boxing fans were asking? Why do you think you need a third fight with Bradley when you (and the boxing world) believe you won the first two matchups?

“This is not the same Tim Bradley I fought before. His new trainer has transformed him into a powerful and entertaining fighter. He knocked out Brandon Rios in his last fight. Rios had never been stopped before that fight. I think we will give the fans an exciting fight. I am really looking forward to it.”

If it’s true that you’re leaving the sport after the Bradley fight, what are you going miss the most and what are you going to be happy to leave behind?

“The time feels right for winding down my boxing career. We will see. I am training like it is my last fight. I want to give everyone a memorable fight. I am all about the here and now…the present. I am sure some day I will look back at my career but right now I am only focused on my fight against Tim Bradley.”

What are your five favorite fights of your career? Why? Can you explain how you felt before or after each one?

“Oscar De La Hoya was the fight that changed my life and elevated my career to a new level I never dreamed possible. I think because I jumped up two weight divisions, no one gave me a chance and Oscar was the most popular fighter of our era, my victory was also considered the upset of the year.

“My first fight against Marco Antonio Barerra was my breakthrough fight in the U.S. Marco was considered the best pound for pound fighter in boxing. He had victories over Naseem Hamed, Erik Morales and Johnny Tapia as well as most of the featherweight belts. It was my best fight. I had never been in better shape and I was in total control.

“Miguel Cotto was the ultimate test for me. Like Barrera, he was considered a top pound for pound fighter. It was such a physical battle. He’s a fierce competitor. I became the first fighter to win world titles in seven divisions. It was such an accomplishment for me and for the Philippines.

“My second fight with Erik Morales not only avenged the previous loss it was also the beginning of a rebuilding program with Freddie Roach, where I began my transformation from only using my left to becoming a more complete fighter and having the confidence to use my right effectively.

“Lehlo Ledwaba was special because it was my first fight in the U.S. and my first fight with Freddie. No one even knew how to pronounce my name. We surprised everyone with that victory.”

In what ways do you expect Bradley’s style will be different under the tutelage of Teddy Atlas?

“After seeing Tim knock out Brandon Rios I expect Bradley to engage more instead of running like he did before when we fought. He has improved a lot and has become a very powerful puncher. It’s going to be a great fight.”

Pacquiao vs. Bradley takes place Saturday, April 9 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/ 6:00 p.m. PT.

Manny Pacquiao nearly assaulted outside L.A. restaurant

Manny Pacquiao was nearly assaulted outside a Japanese restaurant in Hollywood, Calif., on Sunday, reports the Philippine Star.

A sports reporter for the Philippine newspaper tweeted the details of attempted assault on the aging boxing champion outside the restaurant Kabuki on Sunday afternoon.

A white male hurled F-bombs as he rushed toward the boxer. The man was restrained and pushed away by Pacquiao aides, according to reporter Abac Cordero.

"I really thought he was going to hit Manny," David Sisson, a personal assistant to Pacquiao, told Cordero. "He came in fast. He almost got to Manny."

Pacquiao, 37, who is scheduled to return to the ring this week for the first time since losing to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in May, was standing by the door of his Ferrari outside the back door of the restaurant when the man rushed towards him shouting "F--k you."

According to Cordero's report, Edward Lura was the first to jump in and prevent the possible attack on Pacquiao. Lura is described as a longtime pal of the former world champ.

Pacquiao ordered his team not to rough up the attacker - "Let him go. Let him go!" - and police were not called.

The Philippine star, who is running for the Senate in his native country, will step into the ring for the third time on Saturday against Timothy Bradley at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. They split the first two meetings. Pacquiao is believed to earning a $20 million paycheck for Saturday's welterweight title bout.

Tim Bradley considered Retiring just after first Manny Pacquiao fight

Timothy Bradley’s life changed on June 9, 2012, when he shocked the masses by defeating Manny Pacquiao, then the top pound-for-pound boxer in the world.

Pacquiao, a 4 1/2-to-1 favorite to win, had previously emerged victorious in 15 consecutive bouts. That unbeaten streak that is still often talked about had lasted seven years and included wins over Hall of Fame caliber fighters such as Juan Manuel Marquez (twice), Oscar De La Hoya, Miguel Cotto, Shane Mosely and Erik Morales.

That Bradley, in just his second Las Vegas fight, was the one who ended Pacquiao’s run, sent the boxing world into a tailspin and dramatically upgraded Bradley’s standing in the sport, not to mention his earning power moving forward as a professional fighter.

It was the biggest moment in Bradley’s career. But then it all turned dark.

“The people, the media, everyone humiliated me,” Bradley, who will fight Pacquiao for a third time April 9 in Las Vegas, told The Desert Sun in 2014. “I was ridiculed, demonized, you name it. It was like I took something from the world. Everybody hated me for it.”

Two judges scored the bout, 115-113, in favor of Bradley. The third scored it, 115-113, for Pacquiao.

Bradley’s win had upset the masses. The split decision that favored Bradley has since been called one of the most controversial in a sport that breeds controversy. Even promoter Bob Arum, who represents both Bradley and Pacquiao, called the outcome “crazy,” “ridiculous” and “nuts,” and said that he believed Pacquiao won, and that “it wasn’t a close fight.”

Others reached out to Bradley and suggested he give the WBO welterweight title belt back to Pacquiao.

In the aftermath, when the backlash reached its peak, Bradley fell into a deep depression, with death threats coming through social media and even thoughts of suicide entering his mind.

“When you go through that and you see that, you’re like, ‘Damn.’ You don’t feel like you want to live anymore. People can be so mean and so brash and not understanding. You don’t want to fight anymore; you don’t want to live anymore. Why do I do this? It was just a hard point for me, and at that time I didn’t want to fight anymore. There was no point in fighting anymore.”

One of the death threats came in the form of a letter, Bradley later told reporters. It was hand written with no return address. Other letters came from boxing fans, and would tell Bradley he didn’t beat Pacquiao and he wasn’t a true champion.

Bradley’s depression worried those around him.

“Winning the fight that night the way he won it, was like losing by a knockout,” Bradley’s former trainer Joel Diaz told The Desert Sun this week. “It was worse than losing by a knockout because everybody criticized him, everybody attacked him.

“We all felt like we pulled something from somebody important in the world. Fighting Manny Pacquiao in (Las Vegas), we stole something big — a big gem from King Arthur. That’s how we felt.

“He was depressed. He wanted to commit suicide; he would cry at home. I had a knock on my door every day. I hated when people approached me and asked about the fight because it was always a negative approach. It was hard.

“I feel bad for him. I feel bad for Bradley because it was supposed to be a happy moment of his life, and it was the worst moment of his life. You know, fighting the best fighter, pound-for-pound, and coming out with a win, and it was like the whole world came down on us.”

Bradley (31-1-1, 13 knockouts) has found the public opinion slowly shifting over the last four years, after winning in the 2013 Fight of the Year against Ruslan Provodnikov, and beating Juan Manuel Marquez and sending Brandon Rios into retirement with an eight-round knockout last November.

Time has healed some of Bradley’s emotional wounds, he’s said, but he has not yet quelled the controversy from the first fight. A rematch with Pacquiao (57-6-2, 38 knockouts) in 2014, didn’t help. Pacquiao’s unanimous decision for Pacquiao remains the lone blemish on Bradley’s professional record heading into Saturday’s rubber match.

“No one thought I had what it took to beat out Manny Pacquiao,” Bradley said. “So, when I did edge out the decision, I never got the credit I deserved.”

Beating Pacquiao again, in the third meeting between the two, may provide the credibility and vindication that eluded Bradley in 2012. He missed the opportunity in the rematch in 2014, and with Pacquiao saying he will retire after this fight, this will be Bradley’s last shot.

“That’s what this fight is for,” Bradley said Friday. “When I’m done boxing, my kids will be talking about it, their kids will be talking about it.”

Watch Pacquiao-Bradley 2 (Full Fight Recap) !!

~ Enjoy and Recall your Memory ~

Manny Pacquiao vs. Timothy Bradley II (billed as "Vindication") is a boxing welterweight championship fight for the WBO Welterweight Championship. The bout was held on April 12, 2014, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Paradise, Nevada. Pacquiao won by unanimous decision and took the WBO Welterweight title, ending Bradley's undefeated streak.

Pacquiao vs. Bradley 2 results: Manny Pacquiao avenges loss, beats Timothy Bradley on April 12, 2014

Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley both came out and fought 100 mph tonight, resulting in a great fight, but one where Pacquiao was simply better than Bradley. This time, he got the scores: 116-112, 116-112, and 118-110, all for Manny Pacquiao, who is once again the WBO welterweight champion.

Pacquiao vs Bradley 2 Poster

Pacquiao (56-5-2, 38 KO) and Bradley (31-1, 12 KO) were about dead even through six rounds, but Manny took over from there, as Bradley tired and might have suffered some sort of minor injury. Pacquiao's speed, angles, and power all looked like, well, The Old Manny Pacquiao, while Bradley certainly lived up to his talk of trying to knock Pacquiao out in the fight.

In short, it was a terrific battle, and the right man won a better fight than we saw in 2012, settling the score. After the fight, the two warriors embraced, traded smiles, and Bradley clapped for Manny being announced the deserving winner.

During the bout, Bradley's trainer Joel Diaz lambasted his fighter for fighting stupidly, which was indeed the consensus opinion of the fans and media discussing the bout on Twitter. Bradley was easily drawn into a firefight, where Manny just had the advantage.

"You can't say nothing bad about Manny," Bradley told Max Kellerman after the fight. "He's the best fighter in the world, eight-division world champion. I lost to one of the best in the world, man."

Bradley did say he felt he'd suffered a strained calf in the fight, which it did appear was the case around the seventh round. But while Bradley did say that he felt the injury occurred, he also said he wasn't making an excuse, and did nothing but congratulate Pacquiao for the win.

Will there be a third fight? Maybe someday. Maybe someday not too long from now. They're both top fighters, both under the same promoter, and there's only so many fights out there for them, especially at this level.

Watch Pacquiao-Bradley First Fight (Recap)

~ Enjoy and Recall your Memory ~

Manny Pacquiao vs. Timothy Bradley, billed as "Perfect Storm", was a welterweight title boxing match held on June 9, 2012, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Paradise, Nevada. After 12 rounds, Bradley won a highly controversial split decision to take the WBO welterweight title.

Reactions of Pacquiao-Bradley First Fight

Following the announcement of the decision, the crowd booed loudly. Pacquiao appeared to be stunned by the result. Fight promoter Bob Arum was irate, and said that he was worried about boxing's credibility in the aftermath of the decision. He also questioned the competence of the judges. Arum also stated that before the scorecards were read out, Bradley told him "I tried hard but I couldn't beat the guy."

Pacquiao said he was shocked by the result, but accepted the decision respectfully, saying "I did my best. I guess my best wasn't good enough," adding, "He never hurt me with his punches, most of them landed on my arms." Immediately after the fight, Bradley stated, "Every round was pretty close. I got to go home and view the tape and see if I really won." He later remarked, "I thought I won the fight. I didn't think he was as good as everyone says he was. I didn't feel his power."

The decision was criticized by many commentators. The Associated Press and the Los Angeles Times scored the fight 117–111 in favor of Pacquiao, while ESPN and Harold Lederman of HBO both scoring the fight 119–109, also in Pacquiao's favor. ESPN boxing analyst and longtime trainer Teddy Atlas said that Pacquiao clearly won, and that it was a case of either incompetence or corruption. He added that boxing needs a national commission, so that judges can be accountable for their decisions. According to the AP's count, Pacquiao landed 253 punches to Bradley's 159. Former champion Oscar De La Hoya said that Bradley should have refused the title belt, and Pacquiao had won the fight. 

However, not everyone was upset by the result. Corbin Middlemas of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation said the fight was very close and difficult to score. "For all of the sports vices, this [decision] wasn't one of them," he said. The only poor decision would have been to award either fighter victory by a large margin, he added.

Official Scorecard of Pacquiao-Bradley First Fight

Quotes:

• "That is a terrible, bogus decision....Tim Bradley has scored and upset split decision victory over Manny Pacquiao. God only knows how." - HBO's Jim Lampley
• "That decision was a crime." - HBO's Harold Lederman
• "It's either corruption or incompetence. There'll be a rematch. It speaks to the corruption of the sport. The criminals will be rewarded" - ESPN's Teddy Atlas
• "People, a great sport is now on a respirator. Boxing is presently a polluted playing field in every respect. Tonight was par for the course." - Lou DiBella
• "Maybe not worse than my draw with Holyfield but still bad nonetheless." - Lennox Lewis
• "It was one of the most outrageous decisions I’ve ever seen." - ESPN's Dan Rafael
• "I did my best, but I guess my best wasn't good enough. I've been watching his fight tapes. There were no surprises. He never hurt me with his punches. Most of them hit my arms. I don't know what happened." - Manny Pacquiao
• "It was a good fight. Every round was pretty close. Pacquiao won the early rounds, I won the later rounds with my jab. I have to go home and see the tape to see who won." - Timothy Bradley
• "When I came into the ring [after the fight], I said to Tim, 'You did very well,' and he said 'I tried hard and I couldn't beat the guy.' You talk about killing boxing. Even [Bradley's manager, Cameron Dunkin] had it 8-4 for Pacquiao....Something like this is so outlandish, it's a death knell for the sport....I have both guys, and I'll make a lot of money in the rematch, but it's ridiculous. You have these old f---- who don't know what the hell they're looking at. It's incompetence. Nobody who knows anything about boxing could have Bradley ahead in the fight." - Bob Arum

Unofficial Scorecards:

• Armando Alvarez, Telemundo: 115-113 Pacquiao
• Ramon Aranda, 3MoreRounds.com: 118-110 Pacquiao
• Allen Barra, The Atlantic: 119-110 Pacquiao
• Bart Barry, 15rounds.com: 116-115 Bradley
• Skip Bayless, ESPN: 119-109 Pacquiao
• Alexander Belenky, Sport-Express.ru: 116-112 Pacquiao
• Ron Borges, Boston Herald: 117-111 Pacquiao
• BoxingSocialist.com: 116-112 Pacquiao
• Brent Brookhouse, SBNation.com: 117-111 Pacquiao
• Steve Bunce, BoxNation.com/BBC: 116-112 Pacquiao
• Ryan Burton, BoxingScene.com: 117-112 Pacquiao
• Mario Cabrera, The Boxing Republic: 118-110 Pacquiao
• Jordan Capobianco, BoxingNews24.com:116-112 Pacquiao
• Steve Carp, Las Vegas Review-Journal: 117-111 Pacquiao
• CheckHook.com: 116-112 Pacquiao
• Scott Christ, BadLeftHook.com: 117-111 Pacquiao
• Marc Livitz, SecondsOut.com: 118-110 Pacquiao
• Geoffrey Ciani, EastSideBoxing.com: 118-110 Pacquiao
• Leroy Cleveland, FightSaga.com: 119-109 Pacquiao
• Nigel Collins, ESPN: 118-110 Pacquiao
• Victor Contreras, The Sacramento Bee: 118-110 Pacquiao
• Paddy Cronan, On the Grind Boxing Radio: 118-110 Pacquiao
• Tim Dahlberg, Associated Press: 117-111 Pacquiao
• Gareth Davies, The Daily Telegraph: 117-111 Pacquiao
• Rob Day, RingNews24.com: 117-112 Pacquiao
• George Diaz, The Orlando Sentinel: 117-111 Pacquiao
• Jake Donovan, BoxingScene.com: 115-113 Pacquiao
• Terry Dooley, BoxingScene.com: 115-113 Pacquiao
• Robert Ecksel, Boxing.com: 118-110 Pacquiao
• Stephen Edwards, BoxingTalk.com: 117-111 Pacquiao
• Jake Emen, ProBoxing-Fans.com: 117-111 Pacquiao
• Charles Farrell, No Holds Barred Radio Show: 117-111 Pacquiao
• FightersRated.com: 117-111 Pacquiao
• Doug Fischer, The Ring Magazine: 117-111 Pacquiao
• Danny Flexen, Boxing News: 115-113 Bradley
• Ace Freeman, FightFan.com: 118-110 Pacquiao
• Danny Garcia: 118-110 Pacquiao
• Chuck Giampa, Showtime: 118-110 Pacquiao
• Brian Arman Graham, Sports Illustrated: 116-112 Pacquiao
• Ed Graney, Las Vegas Review-Journal: 117-111 Pacquiao
• Tom Gray, SecondsOut.com: 116-112 Pacquiao
• Suge Green, On the Grind Boxing Radio: 116-112 Pacquiao
• David Greisman, BoxingScene.com: 7-111 Pacquiao
• Tommy Gunn, BoxingAsylum.com: 117-111 Pacquiao
• Andreas Hale, FightNews.com: 116-112 Pacquiao
• Ricky Hatton: 116-112 Pacquiao
• Thomas Hauser, HBO/TheSweetScience.com:115-114
• Benny Henderson, DogHouseBoxing.com: 117-111 Pacquiao
• Jorge Hernandez, The Low Blow.com: 117-111 Pacquiao
• Joseph Herron, FightSaga.com: 118-110 Pacquiao
• Ken Hissner, DogHouseBoxing.com: 116-112 Pacquiao
• Graham Houston, FightWriter.com/FightNews.com/ESPN: 117-111 Pacquiao
• Kevin Iole, Yahoo! Sports: 117-111 Pacquiao
• Phil Jay, WorldBoxingNews.net: 118-110 Pacquiao
• Max Kellerman, HBO: 116-112 Pacquiao
• Brian Kenny, Top Rank: 116-112 Bradley
• Amir Khan, Primetime: 116-112 Pacquiao
• Steve Kim, MaxBoxing.com: 117-111 Pacquiao
• Mike Koppinger, The Ring Magazine: 118-110 Pacquiao
• Harold Lederman, HBO: 119-109 Pacquiao
• Ron Lewis, Primetime/BBC: 117-111 Pacquiao
• Steve Lillis, BoxNation: 118-111 Pacquiao
• Robert Little, BlackSportsOnline.com: 117-111 Pacquiao
• Mark Lyons, 8CountNews.com: 118-110 Pacquiao
• Chris Manix, Sports Illustrated: 115-113 Pacquiao
• Ryan Maquinana, Comcast Sports Net Bay Area: 117-111 Pacquiao
• Gordon Marino, The Wall Street Journal: 115-113 Pacquiao
• Rich Marotta, KFI Los Angeles: 118-110 Pacquiao
• Juan Manuel Marquez: 116-112 Pacquiao
• Ray Markarian, TheSweetScience.com: 119-109 Pacquiao
• Michael Marley, BoxingConfidential.com/Examiner.com: 119-109 Pacquiao
• David Mayo, The Grand Rapids Press: 117-111 Pacquiao
• Jeff Mayweather: 118-110 Pacquiao
• Kelsey McCarson, TheSweetScience.com: 118-110 Pacquiao
• John McCormick, BoxingTalk.com: 118-110 Pacquiao
• Wayne McCullough: 116-112 Pacquiao
• Franklin McNeil, Newark Star-Ledger: 116-112 Pacquiao
• Kevin Mitchell, The Guardian: 118-112 Pacquiao
• Gabriel Montoya, MaxBoxing.com: 118-110 Pacquiao
• Robert Morales, Los Angeles Daily News: 116-112 Pacquiao
• Kieran Mulvaney, ESPN: 117-111 Pacquiao
• Michael Nelson, TheCruelestSport.com: 116-112 Pacquiao
• Brett Newton, Pound4Pound.com: 118-110 Pacquiao
• Pete O'Brien, USA Today: 118-110 Pacquiao
• Brett Okamoto, ESPN: 116-112 Pacquiao
• Graham Parker, The Guardian: 117-111 Pacquiao
• Max Parker, BoxingWatchers.com: 119-109 Pacquiao
• John Perretti, No Holds Barred Radio Show: 117-111 Pacquiao
• Ryan Phillips, BleacherReport.com: 117-111 Pacquiao
• Eugeny Pilipenko, Vringe.com: 118-110 Pacquiao
• Ken Pollitt, the13thround.com: 118-110 Pacquiao
• Lance Pugmire, Los Angeles Times: 117-111 Pacquiao
• Dan Rafael, ESPN: 119-109 Pacquiao
• Eric Raskin, HBO/TheSweetScience.com: 118-110 Pacquiao
• John Raspanti, DogHouseBoxing.com: 117-111 Pacquiao
• Rick Reeno, BoxingScene.com: 116-112 Pacquiao
• Chris Robinson, BoxingScene.com: 117-111 Pacquiao
• Cliff Rold, BoxingScene.com: 117-111 Pacquiao
• Michael Rosenthal, The Ring Magazine: 118-110 Pacquiao
• Champ Ross, DaTruthBoxing.com: 117-111 Pacquiao
• John Russell, former trainer of Buster Douglas: 118-110 Pacquiao
• Jonathan Sakti, Comcast Sports Net Bay Area: 117-111 Pacquiao
• Luis Sandoval, BoxingScene.com: 117-111 Pacquiao
• Ted Sares, Boxing.com: 119-111 Pacquiao
• Lem Satterfield, The Ring Magazine: 115-113 Pacquiao
• Scott Sawitz, Fox Sports/Inside Fights: 119-109 Pacquiao
• Joel Sebastionelli, LIITR Box Radio: 116-112 Pacquiao
• Colin Seymour, Examiner.com: 118-110 Pacquiao
• Cameron Sharpe, Boxing Fancast: 115-115 Draw
• Ronnie Shields: 117-111 Pacquiao
• Tim Smith, New York Daily News: 116-112 Pacquiao
• Ryan Songalia, The Ring Magazine: 118-110 Pacquiao
• Tim Starks, The Queensbury Rules: 117-111 Pacquiao
• Denzil Stone, OnTheBreak.com: 118-110 Pacquiao
• Alexey Sukachev, Sports.ru: 117-111 Pacquiao
• Vittorio Tafur, The San Francisco Chronicle: 119-109 Pacquiao
• Luke Thomas, MMAFighting.com: 117-111 Pacquiao
• Ben Thompson, FightHype.com: 116-112 Pacquiao
• Richie Tomasini, Comcast Sports Net Bay Area: 117-111 Pacquiao
• Barry Tompkins, Showtime: 119-110 Pacquiao
• Darren Velasco, 8CountNews.com: 117-111 Pacquiao
• George Willis, The New York Post: 116-112 Pacquiao
• Michael Woods, ESPN: 119-109 Pacquiao
• Nick Xouris, FightHype.com: 118-111 Pacquiao
• Matt Youmans, Las Vegas Review-Journal: 117-111 Pacquiao
• Steve Zemach, The Queensbury Rules.com: 116-112 Pacquiao
• Vadim Zhuk, Championat.com: 118-110 Pacquiao

• Among the experts above, 121 scored the bout for Pacquiao, 3 scored it for Bradley and 1 had it a draw.
• None of the scores for Pacquiao were offered by Philippine media.
• Two of the three scores for Bradley were provided by American media. The other score for Bradley and the draw were from British media.