MANILA, Philippines - Sa nakaraang apat niyang laban, nabigo si Manny Pacquiao na umiskor ng isang knockout.
At tiwala si American challenger Timothy Bradley, Jr. na hindi siya mapapabagsak ng Filipino world eight-division champion sa kanilang suntukan sa Hunyo 9 sa MGM Grand sa Las Vegas, Nevada.
“Pacquiao won’t hurt me in this fight. He won’t hurt me in this fight. I’m not going anywhere in this fight regardless,” sabi ni Bradley sa ‘knockout power’ ng 33-anyos na si Pacquiao. “I’ve been hit by middleweights, heavyweights, whatever man. I’ve been hit by big guys. He’s not going to hurt me because he can’t hit what’s not there man.”
Itataya ni Pacquiao (53-3-2, 38 KOs) ang kanyang hawak na World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title, inagaw niya kay Miguel Cotto via 12th-round TKO noong Nobyembre ng 2009, kontra kay Bradley (28-0-0, 12 KOs).
Ang 28-anyos na si Bradley ang kasalukuyang WBO light welterweight king.
Kasalukuyang nasa isang 16-fight winning streak si Pacquiao kung saan ang huli niyang naitalang knockout ay noong 2009 laban kay Cotto.
Sinabi ni Bradley na didiretso sa 12 rounds ang kanilang laban ni Pacquiao katulad ng mga nangyari kina Joshua Clottey, Antonio Margarito, Sugar Shane Mosley at Juan Manuel Marquez.
“Honestly, he can land it flush on the chin, and we’re going to see after the first round if he lands a big left and I eat it, he’s going to be in for a long fight. It’s going to be a long night for him,” wika ni Bradley.
Tatanggap si Bradley ng $5 milyon para sa kanyang laban kay Pacquiao, inaasahang makakakuha ng $22 milyon.