Fight Week Notebook: Manny Pacquiao vs Tim Bradley

Pacquiao vs. Bradley News and Notes

By: William Holmes

It’s fight week, and one of the, if not the, biggest international superstars in boxing will be stepping into the ring to defend his title against a very dangerous and skilled opponent. This page will be updated with news and notes all week.

Pacquiao is such an attraction, that the amount of news his fights generate around the web is almost impossible to follow.

Below are some of the news stories and notes for Welterweight Title fight on Saturday.

Fight starting after Basketball

I’m not waiting for Manny’s request on this one. We will not begin the Pacquiao –Bradley main event fight until the Celtics and the Heat finish their playoff game,” said Arum. “Now Manny, the Heat, the Celtics, and sports fans watching the basketball game won’t have to make a choice between events, they will be able to watch both. However, the action-packed pay-per-view undercard will begin as scheduled at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.”

Pacquiao (54-3-2, 38 KOs), boxing’s only eight-division world champion and the lone congressional representative from the Sarangani province in the Philippines, will be defending his World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight championship crown against WBO junior welterweight champion Bradley (28-0, 12 KOs), of Palm Springs, Calif., Saturday, June 9, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev. The Pacquiao-Bradley world championship fight 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 has Floyd on his Mind:

“I’m praying for him,” Pacquiao said to a small group of reporters on Tuesday. “I’m not treating him as my opponent, my enemy or anything. I’m treating him as my friend, my brother. I’m praying for him that all things will be fine for him.” … “Well, if you are a fighter, would you fight if I give you 40 million and nothing to share in the PPV?” Pacquiao asked rhetorically. “I would not fight for that. He will be laughing [behind] my back if I do that. It’s not a proper negotiation if you’re a businessman.”

Manny Pacquiao & Tim Bradley arrive at MGM Grand

Photos: Chris Farina/ Top Rank

Hatton Predicts A More Exciting Fight For Pacquiao and Bradley

Richy Hatton will be sharing his thoughts with the audience watching the fight through Primetime television. He offered his thoughts on the fight, and had the following to say.

“Manny Pacquiao is the number one pound-for-pound fighter in the world and he goes into this fight as the favourite but Timothy Bradley is a very slick and tidy boxer so this isn’t going to be an easy fight for him.

“Against Junior Witter we saw how well schooled Bradley was and how he was able to figure out his style so quickly so I think he will cause Pacquiao some problems,” said Hatton.

“I think style wise this could be an even better matchup than the recent fight between Floyd Mayweather and Miguel Cotto. Mayweather is exceptional defensively and makes you miss but Pacquiao is a lot more exciting and when you put him in with Bradley style wise it makes for a great fight,” he said.

New Digital Deal for Top Rank

Top Rank Boxing has signed a deal with MLB Advanced Media to host Top Rank’s live online streaming, help develop subscription digital content and create mobile applications. This deal gives Top Rank more platforms from which to broadcast the title fight on Saturday. MLB Advanced Media is baseball’s interactive arm, and will participate with Top Rank in an undisclosed revenue-sharing agreement. The new website at toprank.com will feature the MLBAM-build video assets.

The Manny Pacquiao vs. Timothy Bradley world welterweight championship event at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, will be available live on both pay-per-view television and online. The four-bout pay-per-view card, produced and distributed live online by Top Rank for $54.95, boasts interactive features unique to the digital platform through MLBAM’s (MLB Advanced Media) technology. The live online pay-per-view is exclusive to U.S. viewers

“This pay-per-view offering will complement our current distribution which appeals to sports fans who are engaged in digital platforms on a daily basis. The response has been so positive when we did this previously, which was for Pacquiao-Mosley and Pacquiao-Marquez III last year we knew there would be an even bigger demand for Pacquiao-Bradley. Sports viewing has entered a new frontier and Top Rank, which has always been at the forefront of integrating new technology to enhance the fans’ experience, will be adding more live digital platforms to future world championship boxing events,” said Todd duBoef, president of Top Rank.

Pacquiao Sues Accountants

What’s a Pacquiao fight without some pre fight controversy? TMZ is reporting that this time Manny Pacquiao is suing VisionQwest Resource Group, his old accounting firm that sued him last year for failing to pay his fees. Pacquiao calls himself the world’s top ‘Pound for Pound’ fighter in the world. More info on this story

Timothy and Monica Bradley’s Big Gamble

Kevin Iole of Yahoo! Sports wrote an excellent article detailing the struggles Timothy and Monica Bradley had to go through in order for Bradley to devote more time to his boxing career. Bradley is a hungry fighter, and has sacrificed a lot to get to where he is at today. When Bradley went to England for his first world title fight, his wife and him had 11 dollars in their bank account. Bradley is so confident about Saturday’s bout, that he’s already talking about a rematch.

Pacquiao Spiritual Awakening

Pacquiao began a journey of spiritual renewal since his marital problems late last year. His journey now includes leading daily Bible study classes. He has embraced The Bible and its teachings, making The Bible his “manual for living his life.” Manny gives a thorough first-person account on his new-found spirituality and how it has affected his life as a world champion boxer, an elected public servant and a family man.

Other Writers’ Take on Saturday’s Fight

Leighton Ginn wrote an article for the Desert Sun about Bradley’s mode of transportation and his bus driver’s experiences with past Pacquiao opponents. Tim Dahlberg of yahoo sports notes that Pacquiao needs to be impressive if he wants a fight with Floyd Mayweather. John Wisler of the San Antonio Express-News wrote what many writers were thinking, that Bradley is a very tough test for Pacquiao. Santos Perez of the Miami Herald stated that Pacquiao is taking Bradley very seriously. Other writers noted that in the Wild Card Gym, Freddie Roach is happy with Pacquiao’s workout and that reports of a divided gym won’t be a problem.

American Idol’s Jessica Sanchez to sing

American Idol’s JESSICA SANCHEZ is confirmed to sing the National Anthem before the Manny Pacquiao vs. Timothy Bradley World Welterweight Championship, Saturday, June 9, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Sanchez will be singing before a live audience of over 16,000 fans and tens of millions of viewers worldwide watching it live on Pay-Per-View.

The 16-year-old San Diegan was the runner-up in the 11th season of television’s No. 1 rated show, AMERICAN IDOL on FOX. Sanchez quickly became a fan favorite this season with her powerhouse vocals, often garnering high praise from the judges each week.

Pastor Rick Warren’s Visit to Manny Pacquiao’s Training Camp

On May 29, Pastor Rick Warren paid a visit to the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood, Calif., to observe Manny Pacquiao train for his June 9 world title defense against Timothy Bradley, Jr.

Following the training session, Pastor Rick interviewed Manny and his wife Jinkee, conducted a Bible study and prayed with them. This link will take you to their video. Hit the “download” button. http://vimeo.com/43315952

“Manny Pacquiao is THE purpose-driven boxer! His huge heart for God energizes his heart for everything else – his family, his country, his sport, the street kids, and all his fans,” said Pastor Rick. “Right in the middle of a hectic schedule packed with training and media interviews, Manny made the time to sit down and do a one-on-one Bible Study with me, ignoring cameras and onlookers, and focusing instead on what God might want to say to him personally at the moment. What most people don’t know about Manny is that he has more of the Bible memorized than many pastors do. He not only quotes the Bible from memory; he applies it to his life. But what I love most Manny is that, in spite of his fame and wealth, he is training for this fight in a typical inner city gym, surrounded by the kinds of kids he used to be on the streets of Manila. Rather than training in some exclusive, over-priced and air-conditioned celebrity gym in Beverly Hills, he is modeling his workout for kids who also dream of one day living a better life.”