According to Ben Thompson of fighthype.com a source “with knowledge of Pacquiao’s preference” says that Manny has chosen Bradley for the April 12th fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
“They’re going with Tim. Neither Bradley or Provodnikov are a big draw, but with Bradley, they can at least hang their hat on the fact that there’s history between the two fighters. The controversy of their first fight makes it a lot easier to sell than a fight with the Russian kid,” according to the source.
Timothy Bradley is no longer the unknown boxer he was two years ago. His split decision win over Manny Pacquiao was controversial to say the least but since then he’s cemented himself as one of the best boxers in the world.
His wins over Ruslan Provodnikov and Juan Manuel Marquez showed the wide array of Bradley’s skills. Manny on the other hand is coming off of an easy win over Brandon Rios in November.
This rematch holds a lot of weight for both fighters:
Bradley is out to prove that the first fight wasn’t a fluke and with his less timid style as of late could possibly land a KO victory this time around.
Pacquiao is out to prove that he’s back to his old form and serious about making a run at Floyd Mayweather Jr in 2015.
This fight should be more exciting than the first between the pair and both fighters will have a lot riding on the outcome.