By Jake Donovan
While a 24/7 reality series isn't in store for their April 9 rubber match, Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley Jr. will be the subject of a 30-minute "Legacy On the Line: From Pacquiao To Bradley" special ahead of their April 9 HBO Pay-Per-View headliner.
The segment will debut Saturday, March 26 (12:00 a.m. ET), immediately following the conclusion of an HBO-televised doubleheader topped by Andre Ward and Sullivan Barrera in a 12-round matchup of unbeaten light heavyweights.
The upcoming showdown between Pacquiao and Bradley marks the lone entry of their long standing rivalry to not be accompanied by a 24/7 special, which has previously served as normal - but not set in stone - procedure. Instead, the 30-minute feature will focus squarely on Bradley and how his trilogy capper will impact his legacy.
The episode will feature interviews with Bradley, his wife and business manager Monica Bradley, father Ray Bradley and recently hired head trainer Teddy Atlas Jr.
All three bouts have been staged at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and have aired live on HBO PPV, or at least will hold true upon completion of their upcoming third fight. In addition to the absence of a 24/7 accompaniment, the upcoming bout is the lone of the series to not carry a major title at stake.
Pacquiao (57-6-2, 38KOs) was the reigning welterweight titlist heading into their June '12 meet, which Bradley won by a widely disputed split decision verdict. He made two successful defenses of the title before suffering a decisive points loss to Pacquiao in their April '14 rematch.
The night remains the lone loss to date for Bradley (33-1-1, 13KOs), who has since fought to a draw with Diego Chaves and posted wins over Jessie Vargas and Brandon Rios.
The win over Vargas came with the same welterweight belt he won from and lost to Pacquiao, who would go on to hand over the strap to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in their long-awaited showdown last May. Mayweather was subsequently stripped of the title, making the belt available for Bradley's 12-round nod over Vargas best remembered for its crazy ending when referee Pat Russell mistook the 10-second warning for the final bell and stopping the fight at a point when Bradley was briefly rocked.
It was Bradley's final fight with longtime trainer Joel Diaz, with the two parting ways and the sculpted Californian bringing in Atlas to handle corner duties. Their union led to one of the more complete performances of his career, though perhaps in a made-to-order matchup with Brandon Rios, whom Bradley beat down in nine one-sided rounds.
The one catch was that it was a non-title affair, as Bradley was obligated to face mandatory challenger Sadam Ali. The WBO ordered a title fight between the two immediately thereafter, with Bradley graciously vacating the title in favor of a more lucrative third showdown with Pacquiao, who has not fought since his loss to Mayweather.
Following the premiere this Saturday, future airtimes will air as follows (all times ET/PT):
HBO: 3/27 (11:15 a.m.), 3/28 (11:30 a.m. and 5:30 a.m.), 3/30 (6:00 p.m.), 3/31 (1:30 p.m.), 4/4 (3:35 p.m.) 4/6 (11:00 a.m. and 11:30 p.m.), 4/8 (7:15 p.m. and 2:00 a.m.) 4/9 (5:00 p.m.)
HBO2: 3/29 (9:45 p.m.) 3/31 (2:00 p.m.), 4/1 (5:00 p.m. and 1:45 a.m.), 4/2 (1:45 p.m.), 4/5 (10:30 a.m.), 4/8 (11:45 p.m.), 4/9 (10:30 a.m.)
Jake Donovan is the managing editor of BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
