Manny Pacquiao has promised to roll back the years as he looks to avenge his loss to Timothy Bradley and win back the WBO welterweight title he lost in controversial fashion to the American two years ago.
Having lost to Bradley and then been brutally knocked out by Juan Manuel Marquez, some have questioned whether Pacquiao still has the same drive and can replicate the performances that made him one of the most feared fighters on the planet.
But the Filipino great believes he has not lost any of the edge that saw him stop some of the belt fighters of the last two decades.
“There is something different in this training camp,” Pacquiao explained. “There are a lot of people who doubt I can fight the same way I fought when I knocked out Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Erik Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera.
“I want to prove to them that I am the best. I know I will need to outbox and outspeed Bradley and that is what I will do. This is the first time I have challenged for a world title that I lost. Do I want it back? You bet I do; and I want it back from Tim Bradley.”
While Bradley’s victory over Pacquiao was surrounded by controversy, he has since gone on to prove that he fully deserves to be recognised as one of best operators at 147lbs.
His war against Ruslan Provodnikov proved he had the heart to go with his undoubted ability, while in defeating Pacquiao’s conqueror Marquez he displayed blistering hand speed and slick defensive skills.
Yet Pacquiao feels he will not only gain revenge and inflict a first loss on Bradley’s impeccable record, but he will do so in an aggressive manner.
“His words have inspired me to show the hunger and the killer instinct he is talking about,” responded Pacquiao to Bradley’s claims that he had lost his power.
“I do not think Bradley will fight toe-to-toe with me either, so I will have to hunt him down. I am prepared for that. I am not going for a knockout, but if the opportunity presents itself I am going for it this time.
“We are focusing on being more aggressive and throwing a lot of punches, and if the knockout comes, it comes. I just want to prove that I can have the hunger that it takes to get the job done.”
