MANILA, Philippines – WBO welterweight champion Timothy Bradley believes Manny Pacquiao isn’t getting younger, and that the Filipino’s age will work against him in their rematch on April 12.
A confident Bradley recently spoke to the Boston Herald, brushing off Pacquiao’s recent declaration that he’ll revert to his “young, aggressive self†in their second meeting.
Bradley promised to be prepared for whatever Pacquiao brings to the table.
“Manny says he's coming to bring the pain. He says he's going to be the Manny of old and he's not going to show compassion. He says I'll have to knock him out to win, that he'll outbox me,†he told the Boston Herald.
Bradley, who escaped with a controversial majority decision win over Pacquiao two years ago, then pointed to Pacquiao’s age as a liability for the fighting congressman.
“Manny's what, 36 now? Ain't no 36-year-old whipping my behind. No way he's going to outpunch me, outwork me,†he stressed.
Pacquiao, in fact, is 35 years old, which in the sport of boxing is already considered old. He has a significant amount of mileage in his legs and his body has absorbed enough damage due to an extensive career. These, however, didn’t spell a difference when Pacquiao dominated Brandon Rios in Macau last November to return to the win column.
But Bradley also noted Pacquiao’s recent inability to dispose opponents off, attributing this to an apparent loss of killer instinct. The Filipino icon, for his part, vowed to change this perception.
Bradley added that only a knockout will be enough for Pacquiao to defeat him, something the American assured he’ll do everything in his power to avoid.
“Only way he's gonna beat me is knock me out because as long as I got life in me, I'll keep punching. I embrace that challenge with open arms," he ended.