ARUM PREDICTS PACQUIAO-BRADLEY SHOOTOUT
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 15 Mar 2016
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum predicts the Manny Pacquiao-Timothy ?Desert Storm? Bradley third encounter at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on April 9 will be an action-packed battle.
Arum told The Standard ?its going to be a shootout. They are gonna go after each other.?
Although nobody has seen Bradley spar and even Top Rank publicist Lee Samuels was not allowed to watch ?but from everything they?ve said he (Bradley) is going to come out picking his spots but bombing away.?
Arum indicated ?it's going to be a different kinds of Bradley from the one we?ve seen before and a good example his style and what it will be can be based on his last fight with Brandon ?Bam Bam? Rios? who was battered before Bradley was declared the winner by a 9th round TKO last November 7, 2015.
After a visit to the Wild Card Gym of celebrated trainer Freddie Roach on Monday in Los Angeles, Arum said while Pacquiao didn?t spar ?he looked fine. Very, very good.?
He said ?the power is much better because he has, since before the Floyd Mayweather Jr fight last May 2, been struggling with his right hand due to a tear on his right shoulder rotator cuff. Now it's fully operational and he?s much, much better.?
The astute Top Rank promoter told us that when the eight division world champion ?hits Freddie?s mitts with the right hand the sound is probably even bigger than the sound when he hits with his left.?
Roach himself conceded that the 37 year old Pacquiao has slowed down a bit compared to the Pacquiao who scored a devastating knockout at 2:59 of the 2nd round against Britain?s IBO super lightweight champion Ricky Hatton on May 2, 2009.
Roach told Boxing Scene, ?it's pretty much the same but he has slowed down a little bit. I will honestly say that. He?s not the same guy who fought Ricky Hatton right now. Of course he?s getting older but he?s still very capable.?
Arum disclosed that ticket sales were going well and ?it would be close to a sellout if not a sellout? with 80 percent of the tickets already gone.
Photo: Pacquiao works out in Los Angeles' Griffith Park Monday. Photo by Wendell Rupert Alinea.
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