Manny ready to chase Bradley down

MANILA, Philippines – By now, Timothy Bradley should be well aware of Manny Pacquiao’s desire to knock him out. For that, he’s expected to steer clear of the Filipino’s advances in their rematch on April 12.

Pacquiao himself believes Bradley will get on his bicycle on fight day and refuse to engage.

In a recent conference call with members of the media, Pacquiao said he expects Bradley to box safely and avoid trading blows with him. He’s ready to play cat and mouse with the American, who holds the WBO welterweight title.

“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,” the fighting congressman said.

RELATED: Trainer says Bradley is ‘unstoppable’

Bradley, a slick fighter, is at his best when he chooses to box opponents at a distance and stay away from nasty exchanges. The last time he figured in a slugfest, he almost got himself knocked out by Ruslan Provodnikov, who decked him in the 12th round of their fight in March last year.

But Bradley escaped with a decision against Provodnikov, as he did when he took on Pacquiao two years ago, although that one came in controversial fashion.

Pacquiao won’t let that happen again, saying he’ll gun for a stoppage if there’s a chance.

“I am not going for a knockout but if the opportunity presents itself, I am going to go for it this time. Bradley's talk that I am no longer hungry has inspired me throughout this training camp,” he stressed.

Freddie Roach wants his ward to go all out against Bradley. Pacquiao, for his part, is happy to oblige.

“As Freddie Roach keeps saying every day in training, ‘No Mercy,’” he said.