Timothy Bradley says he is
not about to let the chance of a lifetime pass him by when he steps into
the ring against Filipino fight king Manny Pacquiao on Saturday.
Bradley, 28, is unbeaten in
28 fights. But he has never fought anyone of Pacquiao’s stature and his
record includes just 12 knockouts.
He’ll be fighting for just
the second time at 147 pounds, moving up to challenge for Pacquiao’s
World Boxing Organization welterweight belt.
Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach says he doesn’t believe Bradley has the speed or power to beat his fighter.
Roach questions the wisdom
of Bradley’s vegan diet – a rarity in the boxing world – and says the
Californian’s muscular physique could be a hindrance rather than an
asset.
Bradley acknowledges the
highly publicized bout is a step up for him, but says the years of
paying his dues fighting in club venues have given him the versatility
to adapt to whatever Pacquiao presents.
“I came from the lumberjack
yards, fighting in little ballrooms. Now we’re in Las Vegas…and we’re
going to be fighting in front of thousands of people,” said Bradley, who
once waited tables to support himself as he tried to establish his ring
career.
In 2008, Bradley travelled
to Nottingham, England, where he defeated Junior Witter to win the World
Boxing Council light welterweight world title.
He said he took home about $40,000 for that bout – a useful payday for a man who had just a few dollars in the bank at the time.
Less than a year later he survived two knockdowns en route to a victory over Kendall Holt.
Bradley’s last bout was an eight-round technical knockout of former world champion Joel Casamayor in November.
That was on the undercard of Pacquiao’s controversial majority decision victory over Juan Manuel Marquez.
The bout with Casamayor
came 10 months after a victory over Devon Alexander, after which Bradley
had a potential date with Amir Khan.
That matchup fell through, but Bradley said he believes he has at last landed where he ought to be.
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