Undefeated Timothy Bradley was given a gift after his last fight against Manny Pacquiao, but he's confident he'll emerge victorious if the two square up again.
Bradley doesn't seem impressed with what he saw from Pacquiao on June 9, and he thinks the Filipino congressman is way past his prime.
"He's declining, honestly he is declining," Bradley said during an interview with the Desert Sun. "He had me hurt in the fourth round, he didn't try to come out and finish me, the old Manny would've. The old Manny would've. I just think there's a lot of wear and tear on him. His mind is in 50,000 different places. He's got his newfound religion and stuff like that, and I just feel like maybe he's worn out, honestly. I have a busy schedule but his schedule is like all day busy, like 24/7, he never stops moving. Even when I saw him in the press conference I was like, 'This guy looks tired.' I saw his eyes; I saw the bags underneath his eyes. I was like this guy is tired. I don't even think this guy wants to be here,"
Bradley has some valid points, considering the fact Pacquiao has slowed down a bit in his recent outings. I definitely wasn't impressed with his 2011 performance against Juan Manuel Marquez, and the congressman/boxer/musician wasn't able to finish Bradley after buckling him several times during their fight.
Pacquiao has already indicated his desire to reclaim his WBO welterweight title, but he might have to settle for Marquez if Top Rank promoter Bob Arum has his way.
If Pacquiao decides to fight Marquez instead, Bradley will try to secure a fight against boxing's pound-for-pound king, Floyd Mayweather, or Amir Khan.
Bradley's chances of securing a fight against Mayweather are pretty slim, considering the talent and marketability discrepancy between the two. He'll probably end up settling for Khan if Pacquiao declines the rematch.
David is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and boxing practitioner that has watched and studied MMA for the past 7 years. Follow him on twitter @davidkingwriter and check out his blog.
Sources:
Edward Chaykovsky, "Tim Bradley: Pacquiao is Declining, I'll Beat Him Easier!"
Fight and fighter information from BoxRec.com
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