Manny Pacquiao will fight Timothy Bradley for a third time next April – but his promoter has cast doubt as to whether it will be his final fight.
– FIGHT CLUB: Boxing’s new breed of champions
– FIGHT CLUB: Pacquiao snub opens door for Khan vs Brook
– GALLERY: Rousey to St. Pierre – The UFC’s biggest upsets
The veteran Filipino has spent the past few months mulling over potential opponents for what was widely reported to be his swansong after a glorious 20-year professional career.
His promoter, the Top Rank supremo Bob Arum, on Wednesday revealed a deal is all but done for a rubber match with Bradley on April 9 and even suggested the 37-yearold Filipino could fight on.
Pacquiao is expected to be elected to a six-year term in the Philippines Senate in May, which will provide him little time to train or box, but Arum says he is resisting the temptation to market the fight as PacMan’s farewell to the sport.
Few cared about a second Pacquiao-Bradley fight. Fewer will care about the third. Disappointed MP didn’t go for the toughest test: Crawford.
— Chris Mannix (@ChrisMannixSI) December 30, 2015
“I am not going to position this as his last fight,” Arum told ESPN. “It may very well be his last fight, but I won’t put myself in the position of selling it as his last fight and then he decides he wants to fight again and I look like a schmuck. I’m not sure it is his last fight, despite what he told me.”
Pacquiao will be fighting for the first time since he lost to Floyd Mayweather Jr in May at the MGM Grand and subsequently underwent shoulder surgery. He has twice fought Bradley before. He first dropped a split decision to ‘Desert Storm’ in June 2012 but the result was widely condemned with most observers convinced Pacquiao had dominated the fight.
Almost two years later, in April 2014, he avenged that defeat with a comfortable unanimous decision, meaning next April’s bout will be a decider. Given Pacquaio’s previous superiority over Bradley the general response has been somewhat underwhelming.
However, Arum says the American – six years Pacquiao’s junior – has improved considerably under new trainer Teddy Atlas and that will make for a competitive showdown.
“It’s a done deal and it’s going to be a third fight against Bradley. We took a lot of consideration knowing Bradley has improved a lot as a fighter since the last time they’ve met in 2014,” the 84-year-old Arum told the Manila Times.
“Bradley is happy about it of course and that’s really a competitive fight for Manny,” Arum added. “People should not buy this fight because they believe it’s Manny’s last fight. They should buy it if they believe with Bradley’s improvement this is a really competitive fight.”
Pacquiao’s Top Rank stablemate Terence Crawford and Britain’s Amir Khan had been the other frontrunners for the bout. Instead it will be WBO welterweight champion Bradley, with the title on the line and most likely in Las Vegas for the Fighting Pride of the Philippines’ 66th professional contest.
