World Boxing Organization welterweight champion Timothy Bradley will be considered underdog in his upcoming third showdown with Manny Pacquiao on April 9 at MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
While most fans and analysts are predicting another lopsided victory in favor of Pacquiao, trainer Naazim Richardson believes the upcoming fight will be interesting. Richardson said in an interview with On The Ropes Boxing that Bradley has the tools to outbox his Filipino foe.
"Bradley is big enough, strong enough, and adept enough as an athlete to outbox Pacquiao, very much like he did in certain rounds in the first fight," Richardson said.
Bradley, who holds a 33-1-1 record with 13 of his victories coming by knockout, won by split decision during their first showdown in June 2012. However, fans and analyst reacted vehemently, saying that Pacquiao clearly won the fight. WBO reviewed the fight and ruled that Pacquiao should have been declared as winner.
The two welterweight superstars faced each other in a rematch in April 2014 and Pacquiao reclaimed the WBO welterweight title with a lopsided unanimous decision victory, erasing the bitter memory of his controversial loss to Bradley during their first showdown.
But while Pacquiao won the second fight convincingly, Richardson is still convinced that Bradley can beat Pacquiao and any other fighter in the welterweight division.
"Tim Bradley can beat anybody in that weight class. On a good night Bradley can beat anybody in that weight class," Richardson added. "I know for a fact that his father instilled a lot of things in him as an amateur. Tim Bradley can fight, he's proven it and he finds a way to win."
Bradley is coming off a ninth-round knockout victory against Brandon Rios in November. Top Rank Promotions CEO Bob Arum recently said that he saw a different Timothy Bradley during the Rios bout -- mainly because he worked under new trainer Teddy Atlas after parting ways with Joel Diaz.
"Bradley with his performance with Rios, and the fact that he seems to be a new fighter and fresh fighter because of Teddy Atlas seems like the most salable guy," Arum told Las Vegas Review Journal. "This is a different Bradley."
While most fans and analysts are predicting another lopsided victory in favor of Pacquiao, trainer Naazim Richardson believes the upcoming fight will be interesting. Richardson said in an interview with On The Ropes Boxing that Bradley is has the physical tools to outbox his Filipino foe.
"Bradley is big enough, strong enough, and adept enough as an athlete to outbox Pacquiao, very much like he did in certain rounds in the first fight," Richardson said.
Bradley, who holds a 33-1-1 record with 13 of his victories coming by knockout, won by split decision during their first showdown in June 2012. However, fans and analyst reacted vehemently, saying that Pacquiao clearly won the fight. WBO reviewed the fight and ruled that Pacquiao should have been declared as winner.
The two welterweight superstars faced each other in a rematch in April 2014 and Pacquiao reclaimed the WBO welterweight title with a lopsided unanimous decision victory, erasing the bitter memory of his controversial loss to Bradley during their first showdown.
But while Pacquiao won the second fight convincingly, Richardson is still convinced that Bradley can beat Pacquiao and any other fighter in the welterweight division.
"Tim Bradley can beat anybody in that weight class. On a good night Bradley can beat anybody in that weight class," Richardson added. "I know for a fact that his father instilled a lot of things in him as an amateur. Tim Bradley can fight, he's proven it and he finds a way to win."
Bradley is coming off a ninth-round knockout victory against Brandon Rios in November. Top Rank Promotions CEO Bob Arum recently said that he saw a different Timothy Bradley during the Rios bout mainly because he worked under veteran trainer Teddy Atlas.
"Bradley with his performance with Rios, and the fact that he seems to be a new fighter and fresh fighter because of Teddy Atlas seems like the most salable guy," Arum told Las Vegas Review Journal. "This is a different Bradley."
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