Bradley on Pacquiao: He should have fought me
Timothy Bradley Jr. is making his first defense of the World Boxing Organization welterweight title against Russian challenger Ruslan Provodnikov on March 16 (March 17, Manila time) at The Home Depot Center in Carson, California.
But it was a previous opponent on the mind of the undefeated American fighter, as he took jabs at Manny Pacquiao and his trainer Freddie Roach, who also trains Provodnikov.
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In a recent interview with Chris Robinson of boxingscene.com, Bradley (29-0, 12 KO’s) somehow mocked the Filipino ring icon, nearly nine months after seizing the WBO welterweight title via a controversial split decision victory at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Pacquiao’s stunning sixth-round TKO defeat against Mexican nemesis Juan Manuel Marquez in their non-title welterweight bout last December gave Bradley ammunition to rant.
Asked by Robinson about his reaction on Pacquiao’s recent loss, a grinning Bradley Jr. said: “You don’t want to ask me that question. Because that’s a bad question to ask me.”
Eventually, the American revealed what he really thought: “Oh, I had a lot of thoughts in my head. He should have fought me. That’s what his a** gets.”
Had he fought Marquez, Bradley also told Robinson what he would have done.
“How do you fight a guy like Marquez? Marquez is a tough guy. Man, you just got to be quick enough to get away from his counters. Marquez is a counter puncher and he waits for you, so you've got to make sure you double up your shots. A good jab will frustrate Marquez because he’s always looking for the counter man,” said the boxer known as “The Desert Storm.”
In a separate interview with Luis Sandoval, also of boxingscene.com, Bradley sounded confident going up against the 29-year-old Provodnikov (22-1, 15 KOs) while lashing back at Roach’s previous tirade.
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“I’m great. I feel 100 percent. No injuries whatsoever. I’m ready, full-pledged ready to do some damage,” the American was quoted as saying by Sandoval.
Told by Sandoval that Roach plans to “make you run and be treated like Forrest Gump,” Bradley was quick to lash back.
“Tell Freddie this is boxing. This ain’t MMA, this is boxing. I don’t run, I box. That’s what I do. It’s called sweet science. It’s called boxing. This is a hit-and-don’t-get-hit sport. A lot of people can’t deal with that. Ruslan Povodnikov can’t deal with that. We gonna outbox him,” stated Bradley, visibly upset.
Asked what can be expected on him against Provodnikov, Bradley exclaimed: “A boxing clinic. A boxing clinic on the 16th. That’s what going to happen. Ruslan Provodnikov is gonna be a ***** robot. I’ll box his head off.”
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