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| Manny Pacquiao |
-By By Abac Cordero (The Philippine Star)
MANILA, Philippines - Manny Pacquiao isn’t taking Timothy Bradley lightly even if the early fight odds coming out of Las Vegas put the Filipino superstar as the 5-1 favorite.
The odds on the fight not going past nine rounds are pegged at -250, meaning your $100 wins $250 if Bradley stays up on his feet after the said distance.
The odds favoring Pacquiao could or should grow higher as the fight nears.
Bradley is a quality fighter, undefeated in 28 fights. He has faced good guys like Nate Campbell, Devon Alexander, Lamont Peterson and Joel Casamayor but never a hard hitter like Pacquiao.
The reigning WBO welterweight champion from Sarangani said he won’t be surprised if Bradley runs around trying to avoid getting hurt or being knocked out.
“Tatakbo yan (He will run),” he told The STAR.
Still, it doesn’t mean that the congressman from Sarangani, at 33 five years older than Bradley, will not take the fight seriously.
Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach, has already aired his concern whether a fighter like Bradley could motivate perhaps the greatest fighter of this generation.
Roach need not worry.
Pacquiao was asked if six to seven weeks of training would be enough against a fighter like Bradley.
“No. I want eight to nine weeks,” he said, adding that the first half of training will be in Baguio City, and the other half in Los Angeles.
“Medyo matagal pahinga kaya dapat mahaba ang training (It’s almost a long rest so we need a longer time to train),” said Pacquiao.
The last time he was up on the ring was against Juan Manuel Marquez last November, a tough, bloody fight that lasted the whole 12 rounds.
It means that by the time Pacquiao climbs the ring to face Bradley it would be three days short of seven months since his last fight.
Bradley is not supposed to be the one in front of Pacquiao in June, but failure to land the big fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr. or Miguel Cotto gave the 28-year-old American the golden opportunity.
Now he needs to stand up before Pacquiao.