By Radio Rahim
Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach is expecting the "the same" Tim Bradley on April 9th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
On that date, Roach's star pupil Manny Pacquiao will face Bradley for a third time. The first time out in 2012, Bradley won a controversial twelve round split decision. Pacquiao got revenge with a twelve round unanimous decision in the 2014 rematch.
The big selling point in the third bout is the addition of trainer Teddy Atlas to the corner of Bradley.
Bradley parted ways with his career trainer Joel Diaz last September. He then hired Atlas not long after. Bradley had his first bout with Atlas in November, when the once-beaten boxer scored a knockout victory over former world champion Brandon Rios.
Roach is not convinced that Bradley is an improved fighter under Atlas. He saw very few differences in the November fight with Rios and expects not issues in the third meeting.
He sees Bradley as the perfect opponent for Pacquiao to face after shoulder surgery. Pacquiao had an injury coming into the May fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. He re-injured it during the fourth round and then had surgery a few days later. Since having the procedure, he's been out recovering.
"Nope, [Bradley won't be any different with Atlas], same guy. It's just a good fight to come off the injury with, to come back with...that's all," Roach told BoxingScene.com.
