Manny Pacquiao: Bob Arum Confirms Fight with Timothy Bradley

After a superfight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. was once again held up, Manny Pacquiao has reportedly agreed to fight Timothy Bradley on June 9 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

And the crowd goes wild.

Said Pacquiao's adviser, Michael Koncz, on Monday, via ESPN:

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"From our end the fight is done. I just got off the phone with (Top Rank's) Bob Arum and Manny, so we're done. I don't assume there will be a problem from the Bradley side. We came to terms with Top Rank on the fight and Manny has approved everything. This morning I had a number of conversations with Bob negotiating the June 9 fight and I relayed everything to Manny and the fight is done from our end."

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Arum had said earlier on Monday, via the LA Times:

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"It can be difficult dealing with a guy [Pacquiao] so many time zones away in the Philippines, but I feel very good about this and think I'll be in a position to announce something by [Tuesday]. I just have to get all the ducks in a row. I just need a complete sign-off from Manny."

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Top Rank president Todd DuBoef reportedly told ESPN that the framework of a deal has already been shaped and he's working to finalize the deal on Bradley's end.

It's hard not to be bitter about the state of boxing right now, as the sport continues to withhold what would be a historic fight between Pacquiao and Mayweather. Fans have been clamoring for the bout for years, and it appears every time the camps get close to reaching a deal, negotiations crumble.

In Bradley, Pacquiao will be fighting the current WBO light welterweight champion, who is undefeated in 29 career bouts.

But despite Bradley's record and his wins against such notables as Lamont Peterson, he's not in the same class as Pacquiao, who is still considered one of the top two boxers in the world. That means this will likely be an average fight—nothing more, nothing less.

The biggest reasons for the Pacquiao-Mayweather negotiations breaking down this month appeared to be the fight date and the split of the purse. Arum contended that he wanted to wait until a bigger arena was constructed for the megafight, while both camps went back and forth over who got how much money.

I have respect for Bradley as a fighter. His last fight was a predictable TKO of Joel Casamayor. But Pacquiao is the better fighter overall, despite his controversial decision against bitter rival Juan Manuel Marquez in November.

With Mayweather set to fight Miguel Cotto in May, it's safe to say that will be the better fight.