PACQUIAO ? BRADLEY: A CONTRAST OF DEMEANOR ON STAGE WILL BRING ?HEAVEN AND HELL? COME SATURDAY NIGHT
By Rich Mazon
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 07 Jun 2012
Las Vegas, NV ? The final press conference of this Saturday?s mega fight between defending WBO welterweight champ Manny Pacquiao and challenger Timothy Bradley produced more than meets the eye. Yes, it has the usual speeches by both fighters on how ready they are to square against each other. And how good their training camp was and how it has prepared them for their fight. It contained the usual sales pitch necessary to drum up interest in gates and pay per view sales. Yes, it has all of that. But if you looked clearly and listen attentively to both fighters, you will see a stark contrast between the two. And that contrast will eventually clash soon.
Manny was all smiles during the entire press conference. He is seen laughing at the podium several times as he exchanged small conversations with his trainer Freddie Roach and his team. His speech was his usual one, devoid of confrontation and conflict. He hardly controlled that smile in his face when he faced off with Bradley at the end of the program. Manny was cool and collected all day yesterday.
This brings us to his challenger, Timothy Bradley. The unbeaten challenger was the exact opposite of Pacquiao. Bradley was intense to say the least yesterday, both in speech and demeanor. You can see that fervid look in his face, with eyes that can fierce through glass. The 28-0 challenger is a picture of silent anger during his stay in the podium yesterday.
And that burning fire showed when it was time for Bradley to talk at the dais. ?Training camp was hell. Training camp was hell. I have never, ever trained this hard in my whole life.? Bradley stated with no hesitation. ?I am ready. I am ready to shock the world. I am ready to do anything that takes in there to win this fight. It?s going to be a great fight. I thank Pacquiao and his team for giving me this shot. Let?s get it on baby. It?s going to be war.? He added. And as if his message was not clear enough for Pacquiao and the audience the first time around, he repeated it again. ?I am ready. I am ready!?
But his actions did not end there, and then came the giant ticket and poster of Pacquiao-Bradley 2 that he raised above his head for everyone to see. ?There?s a ticket right here for the next fight, November 10.I am already predicting the future guys, right here.? Bradley explained. ?After June 10, tickets will go on sale for the rematch.? He ended. This was met with laughter and applause from the amused crowd.
That maybe a stunt masterminded not entirely by Bradley himself but by the boys at Top rank but that action immediately changed Pacquiao?s poise, but only for a split second. He smirked when Bradley came up with that stunt albeit shortly. And when he addressed everyone in the dais, he was his usual self once again. But a part of his speech is meant for Bradley and is also a testament of his newfound faith. ?Training is good. It is amazing. It is heaven.? And then he pause waiting for the crowd to react. No one got it right away that it was a counter to what Bradley just said about his camp being hell.
?It is heaven.? Implying that all was smooth, all was calm, and all was at peace despite the rumors of rift between his trainers. ?It is heaven.? Implying that he trained hard like Bradley but he enjoyed it and is enjoying it still to this day unlike his foe that seemed to have gone through the fires of Hades to get ready. Pacquiao said that with a smile and a twinkle in his eyes, again the exact opposite of Bradley who was plainly just pumped up or was feeling the nerves of being involved on a big fight.
Pacquiao admitted that he got insulted on what Bradley did in the stage when he was interviewed afterwards. ?I rebuked that in Jesus name.? he stated but still with a smile in his face. ?We don?t know yet what?s going to happen. Only God knows.? And then he became serious when he admitted that ?It was kind of embarrassing or insulting God?s knowledge.? He said to one reporter who brought it up. That clearly annoyed the defending champion.
This early, it seems that the inevitable is due. We indeed will have a fight, a war between the two. Because despite the avoidance of Pacquiao and Bradley to confront each other directly, the water that is being heated during Fight week is going to boil and spill come Saturday. Because despite being both gentleman and practicing Christians, they are by nature fighters. And fighting is what they will be doing in less than 48 hours.
You can reach the author at rrmaze24@aol.com for any reaction to this piece.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Rich Mazon .
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