Bradley: Pacquiao can't hurt me

MANILA, Philippines - Tim Bradley yesterday expressed confidence of beating Manny Pacquiao in their June 9 showdown, saying the Filipino WBO welterweight champion won’t be able to deal significant damage to him.

 “Pacquiao won’t hurt me in this fight,” Bradley told Joe Habeeb of Rope-A-Dope Radio. “I’m not going anywhere in this fight regardless. I’ve been hit by middleweights and 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.”

Pacquiao has gone the distance in his last four fights, and hasn’t scored a knockout since stopping Miguel Cotto in 2009. And Bradley is looking to be the first fighter to hand Pacquiao a loss since Erik Morales did the trick about seven years ago.

To be able to do this, Bradley plans to stay away from Pacquiao’s vaunted left straight.

“The only thing Pacquiao really has going for him is his left hand,” the undefeated boxer said. “If you eliminate that there is nothing else.”

Bradley would be right on the dot if he said that several years ago, when Pacquiao was still considered a one-dimensional fighter. Except that Pacquiao – considered as the world’s top pound-for-pound fighter – has evolved into a dynamic, two-fisted punching machine after adding a crisp right hook to his arsenal courtesy of trainer Freddie Roach.

Again, Bradley is hardly concerned.

 “I’m not worried about the right hook at all. He’s trying to develop it I see that, but the left hand you just have to avoid it,” he added.

Bradley, who stands to earn a career-high $5 million against Pacquiao, finally warned the champion to prepare for a long grind.

“It’s going to be a long night for him,” he said.