Pacquiao aims for the big win in his farewell fight against arch-nemesis Bradley

MANILA, Philippines – With exactly a month to go before the National Elections, Congressman Manny Pacquiao, who’s trying his luck to win one of the 12 senatorial seats will first have to settle things inside the ring against the former undisputed WBO Welterweight Champion, Timothy “Desert Storm” Bradley on April 10, 2016 (Manila Time) at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.

Pacquiao vs Bradley 3

Pacquiao and Bradley will face each other again for the third time and this bout will serve as the rubber match with both of them beating each other once. Although, boxing analysts said that Pacman should’ve won the first and second fights by obviously outboxing the American fighter. But, the judges had given the split decision to Bradley during their initial encounter that made this rivalry quite controversial. The two classy welterweights will slug it all out for the vacant WBO International Welterweight title.

This will be the People’s Champion’s first fight after losing to Floyd “Money” Mayweather in May last year. Aside from the humiliating lost to the trash-talker Mayweather, Pacquiao had a surgery on his left shoulder which he sustained during their clash in 2015. While Timothy Bradley atoned himself after getting a beating from Pacquiao on their second face-off by ousting Jessie Vargas in June 2015 and knocking out Bradon “Bam Bam” Rios in November of the same year.

Bradley, outclassing and putting Rios to the canvas is not a shocking and quite amusing news for all boxing pundits. Going back in 2013, in Macau, China, Pacquiao schooled Rios in their match dubbed as “Clash in Cotai” and won the vacant WBO International Welterweight Title. With this, we can say that. No one’s got the extreme advantage here. Everything is even. But the catch is, the “Desert Storm” has the winning momentum over the “Fighting Congressman from the Philippines”.

Morning of April 9, 2016, both protagonists have been weighed in and passed the weight limit mandated by WBO for their weight class. Pacquiao looks leaner at 145.5 lbs while Bradley looks super solid and buffed at 146.5 lbs.

The fighters’ bodies say they’re both ready to rumble.
The fighters’ bodies say they’re both ready to rumble. 
Photo Credit: Dr. Ed dela Vega of Philboxing.com
The fighters’ bodies say they’re both ready to rumble.
The fighters’ bodies say they’re both ready to rumble.
Photo Credit: Dr. Ed dela Vega of Philboxing.com
Based on both fighters’ performance in their previous encounters, this tie-breaker match will definitely go to the distance. Manny Pacquiao has already lost his killer instinct after moving up to the the Welterweight division. But, we can’t discard his speed and ability to throw volumes of punches to his opponents. He will surely have the speed advantage especially that he’s climbing up the ring lighter than Bradley.

As we all know, boxing is not just all about knocking your rival and putting him into a deep sleep. At the end of the the day, judges will still look for the fighter who throws and connects solid punches. Tim Bradley on the other hand is not a knockout artist by nature. He’s more of a tactical boxer than a heavey hitter. He is also know for his stone-walled defense. So, they will both last for 12 rounds and will depend on the judges score cards.

There’s no way there will be a KO tomorrow even a knockdown. But, this will not be as boring as Pac – May fight. Since this serves as Pacman’s farewell bout, experts think that the gods of boxing will heavily favor the Filipino pugilist and will go home as the winner of the grudge match. But in one way or another, the title which will Pacquiao most likely win will be immediately vacated as he is vying for a senatorial seat and declared to focus more on politics and his bigger roles once elected as a senator.

Unlike the Pacquiao – Mayweather bout last year which was also dubbed as “Fight of the Century,” the Pacquiao – Bradley III is not as noisy and frequently talked-about as the previously mentioned fight. It might be because of Pacquiao’s most recent comments on the LGBT community and issue. Another thing is, the Filipino ring icon has already passed his prime and not as exciting to watch as his epic bouts against the Mexican legends almost a decade ago where Pacquaio’s killer instinct was still in his veins. As the infamous DJ Mo Twister has aired, “this is the only Pacquaio Fight where there will be heavy traffic on EDSA”.

Nevertheless, Pacquiao is still a fellow Filipino who will wave the Philippine flag on international stage and must be supported all the way. A true fan is and will always be on his idol’s side win or go home. Manny Pacquiao who put our country in the lime light world wide many times will always be the People’s Champ!

It’s election campaign period, majority of the politicians will try to appease their constituents by giving free and live streaming in their respective territories. Sky Cable is offering the Pacquiao – Bradley III fight for Php 999 bundled with Nonito Donaire vs Zsolt Bedak on April 23rd, three weeks after Pacquiao’s despedida match. Local Cinemas will be offering pay per view seats ranging from Php 500 to Php 700 with free snacks and drinks. And if you’re on a tight budget, Solar Sports and GMA Network will be airing the fight in a delayed telecast.

Undercard fight coverage starts at 9:00am (Manila Time) and the main event will take place between 11:30am to 12:00nn.

On behalf of The Summit Express, Goodluck and Godspeed Manny! -Joey Boy Capos



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