Manny Pacquiao vs. Timothy Bradley: Top Storylines as Superfight Looms
Well, we're back at it again, for better or worse.
Filipino icon Manny Pacquiao is set to do battle for a third time Saturday night against welterweight rival Timothy Bradley, and Bleacher Report is ready to get you primed with all the top storylines ahead of the big fight.
There has been a discernible lack of buzz ahead of this matchup, much of which can be attributed to fan angst over Pacquiao choosing to face Bradley again rather than a fresh face such as Terence Crawford or Amir Khan, who were both mentioned as possible foes but ultimately passed over.
Pacquiao added some chatter, for the wrong reasons, when he stepped in the mud with controversial and offensive comments toward gay people that were heavily criticized by virtually everyone (including HBO and his promoter Bob Arum) and lost him a lucrative Nike contract.
This was initially hyped as his final fight, but that has been significantly dialed back in recent days.
Bradley does hold an official win over Pac-Man, though most in the boxing community would hotly dispute that 2012 verdict. Pacquiao decisively beat him in a 2014 rematch that drew in significantly less box office than the first fight.
So, as you've probably gathered, that leaves plenty of questions, some of which we'll try to answer here.
These are the top storylines ahead of Pacquiao-Bradley III.
Can Pacquiao Overcome Distractions, Disappointments?
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The last year or so has been tough for Pacquiao, both personally and professionally.
It was right around this time last year that the Fight of the Century between Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. began to seem real. We were less than a month away and being bombarded with round-the-clock media coverage (including from people who couldn't name five active fighters) of boxing's richest-ever prizefight.
And then it was a colossal bust.
Mayweather did what he'd done in all 47 of his prior contests, boxing circles around Pacquiao, making him look amateurish and booking another wide decision win that left fans and non-fans alike feeling like they'd wasted all the years of investment in a fight that proved to be a dud.
Pacquiao subsequently claimed that a shoulder injury prevented him from fighting at 100 percent, a statement that lined him up for some heavy criticism. He had surgery and hasn't fought since.
Instead, the 37-year-old has dedicated his time to playing basketball and running for the Senate in his native Philippines, which, being a socially conservative country, was probably why he felt OK making those insensitive comments that bought him mountains of bad press over here.
Pacquiao hasn't publicly seemed fazed by any of the firestorm; however, in a conference call Friday, he did maintain his quotes were taken out of context and that he didn't intend to judge or hurt anyone.
Still, you have to wonder about his focus.
He's getting up there in age, hasn't fought in nearly a year and enters the ring off a deflating loss to a bitter rival with all sorts of bad mojo coming his way.
Could it all catch up to him in the ring?
What Impact Will Teddy Atlas Have?
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Bradley had Joel Diaz in his corner for both of his prior contests with Pacquiao. He won the first (although you'll find precious few people who agree with that verdict) and then fought way out of his comfort zone in the rematch, going for broke early before fading down the stretch in a conclusive defeat.
The two men, who were once as close as brothers, had a highly publicized and acrimonious split last year that resulted in Desert Storm turning over his camp and corner to veteran firebrand Teddy Atlas.
Atlas, who learned from legendary trainer Cus D'Amato and trained notable fighters such as Michael Moorer, Donny Lalonde and Alexander Povetkin, came out of retirement for the opportunity to train Bradley.
He's a disciplinarian who is known for his strict, military-style approach to training and sometimes abrasive, in-your-face method of running a corner. In short, he doesn't take any you-know-what and demands the same of his fighters.
The early returns on this experiment are good.
Bradley turned in what might have been the best performance of his career in his first fight under the New Yorker's tutelage last November. His jab was on point, and he used a solid right hand and some shifty footwork (something that had been a problem in the past) to paste Brandon Rios over nine non-competitive rounds in November.
It was an impressive and complete showing, giving credence to those who wonder if Atlas can help craft a few new wrinkles to befuddle Pacquiao. It's a tall task indeed, but not impossible given what we've seen so far.
Even if he can't, maybe we'll get lucky and get to see a few more of these tremendous moments in the corner.
Where's the Buzz?
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This is easily the quietest Pacquiao fight week since, well, ever?
The fighters are due to make their grand arrivals at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas Tuesday afternoon, but it doesn't seem that anyone really cares that much. It's not that we're missing that big-fight feel that usually accompanies one of the sport's biggest stars—we're missing any feel at all.
It's possible we can ascribe some of that lack of feeling to what has been a lackluster start to 2016 for the entire sport of boxing. There have been few fights (forget good ones, even), and that has put a general damper on fan enthusiasm and interest.
Pacquiao's selection of Bradley, a high-quality opponent for sure but one who most fans (rightly) believe he should own two decisive victories against, definitely didn't help. Most people seemed to be hoping for Crawford, but they would have settled for Khan.
Either guy was a fresh take and a show we haven't seen before.
Pacquiao-Bradley III isn't for a title (Bradley vacated the WBO Welterweight Championship to face Pacquiao rather than mandatory Sadam Ali) and wasn't high on the wish list of boxing fans. It's not something that many are willing to watch again, particularly when it will cost them money.
It's the perfect storm of complacency (we're being nice here), and it's made things hard for this promotion to get on track.
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Will Manny Fight On?
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Arum was clear back in October when he told ESPN.com's Dan Rafael that April 9 would be the final fight of Pacquiao's illustrious career.
It seemed to make sense.
The Filipino has made plenty of money during his fighting career and has spread himself thin over the past several years with interests that go far beyond the boxing ring.
He's currently locked in a tough election campaign to trade in his spot as a Filipino congressman for a higher-profile gig as a senator, which, outside the United States, is a full-time job. We kid, kinda.
Pacquiao has since walked back the idea that this will be his swan song and opened up the real possibility that Saturday night will not be the final time we catch a glimpse of him trading leather in a boxing ring.
He's mentioned, despite opposition to the idea from Arum, that he would be interested in competing in this year's Summer Olympics, should a proposed rule change to allow professional fighters to compete go through in time.
The allure to compete for national pride and a gold medal will be enticing to a good many fighters, including Pacquiao, who will most likely not walk away from the sport after concluding his rivalry with Bradley.
A win all but guarantees another chapter—perhaps the demanded fight with Crawford—while a loss could make things more dicey but not impossible. Either way, it's probably safe to say this won't be the last time Pacquiao laces up the gloves.
How Many PPV Buys?
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This is the big-money question.
Literally.
Pacquiao-Bradley III is a hard sell on pay-per-view. It does feature a loaded undercard, headlined by a super middleweight title fight between Arthur Abraham and Gilberto Ramirez, but it's hard to see how this can translate into box-office success.
At this point, it might be more about avoiding disaster.
Pacquiao and Bradley's first fight generated a solid 890,000 buys on PPV in 2012. The rematch, which came in 2014 against the backdrop of a considerable public outcry over the need to see a second chapter when the first seemed so conclusive, came in a shade lower at between 750,000 and 800,000.
Per Rafael, Arum described that number as a "disappointment."
If the third verse comes in anywhere within sniffing distance of those "disappointment" numbers, you can figure Arum and Co. will be doing a jig up and down the casino floor inside the MGM.
No, PPV revenues are down in general, and this isn't the fight to reverse that trend.
It's mostly about how much blood will be on the floor at this point.
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