Manny Pacquiao spoke to Yahoo about picking Timothy Bradley for his upcoming fight, which he’s said will be the last one of his illustrious career. If he really means that, he should have taken a greater risk in his opponent choice, and not deferred to his promoters.
“I don’t care who my opponent is,” Pacquiao said. “I have no problem with anybody.” That’s what fans like to hear, but as a true superstar of the sport, he could have put his foot down and said no to Bradley. Pacquiao’s career was built on entertaining his fans, and they’re bored by Bradley.
Don't Listen To Manny Pacquiao's Talk Of Retiring
The fight will be billed as a rubber match, but that’s in narrative only. Few put stock in Bradley’s career-making 2012 win over Pacquiao because it was one of the most controversial decisions in boxing history. When they met again, Pacquiao outclassed Bradley, and seemed to make a statement about their first fight.
Pacquiao is doing his best to pump up Bradley, hyping his recent knockout of veteran Brandon Rios, whom Pacquiao defeated by unanimous decision. “Bradley has improved a lot since we had our last fight,” Pacquiao said. “He fought [Brandon] Rios and he knocked him out with a body punch.” The problem is that Rios was a shopworn fighter in that bout, who came to the ring out of shape, and essentially retired after giving up.
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There were exciting fights that fans hadn’t seen before. He could have fought Amir Khan, a talented welterweight on the cusp of stardom, but in dire need of a super fight. He could have taken on up-and-comer Terrence Crawford, who would’ve had the opportunity to take the torch from Pacquiao as HBO’s top welterweight. He could have even faced Adrien Broner, whose resume doesn’t make him deserving, but who has a popular name nonetheless.
Most Pacquiao fans despise Mayweather, but this time Pacquiao should have followed his lead. Mayweather does not get put into any fight he doesn’t want, and he fights whom he pleases. Pacquiao has that clout in boxing, and if his fans demanded another opponent, he had the juice to please them. Especially if it’s the last time he’ll ever be in the ring.
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