Atlas Convinced 'New' Bradley Beats Pacquiao, Says Arum

By Jake Donovan

The news of a third fight between Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley being finalized was met with a collective groan from an overwhelming portion of the boxing community. Whereas each of the first two fights offered competitive action (and a controversial outcome in the first fight), there has been little to no demand for a rubber match, not even to break the tie between the top welterweights.

Naturally, Hall-of-Fame promoter and Top Rank CEO Bob Arum – is among those genuinely intrigued by the April 9 clash, which – as was the case in their first two fights – will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, with HBO Pay-Per-View to distribute and carry live.

Bradley claimed a major upset in their first fight, albeit via a highly questionable split decision win in their June ’12 meet. Pacquiao was widely believed to have deserved the nod, however close (this writer scored it 115-113 Pacquiao) or wide (some outlets claiming he won 11 of 12 rounds).

The loss didn’t affect the Filipino southpaw as much as his next fight, as he was knocked out in the 6th round of his epic fourth clash with longtime rival Juan Manuel Marquez in Dec. ’12.

Top Rank made the decision to stage a third and fourth fight between Pacquiao and Marquez (Nov. ’11 and Dec. ’12, respectively) despite similar backlash questioning why the boxing public should have to invest in fights that weren’t in demand. Both fights wound up performing remarkably well at the box office and in the PPV market, with the fourth fight earning several honors in the 2012 year-end awards.

“When (Pacquiao) fought Marquez a third time, a lot of people thought it would be a walkover for Manny, and it was a close fight and it did well in the box office,” Arum pointed out to BoxingScene.com in drawing parallels to this trilogy. “And the fourth fight… sometimes people know what they want, sometimes we have to show them what they really wanted.

“So with Manny facing Timothy Bradley, anyone who dismisses the fight as unnecessary, or worse, claims that Timothy doesn’t stand a chance… well, they better tune in because they don’t know what the hell they’re talking about if they believe that to be the case.”

Those who remain unmoved by the thought of a third fight are of the mindset that Pacquaio (57-6-2, 38KOs) already proved his dominance in their previous two meets. The Filipino southpaw gained his revenge and an official win with a 12-round unanimous decision in their April ’14 rematch.

The win came six months after Bradley scored a close-but-clear win over Marquez in their Oct. ’13 PPV headliner. The feat capped a year that also included a narrow win in a hellacious war with Ruslan Provodnikov that would earn honors as 2013 Fight of the Year.

Following the loss to Pacquiao, Bradley has since rebounded with a 12-round draw that should have been a win over Diego Chaves in Dec. ’14, following by victories over Jessie Vargas and Brandon Rios to comprise of his 2015 in-ring campaign.

His one-sided 9th round knockout of Rios marked his first union with noted trainer Teddy Atlas following a lengthy run and very public split with Joel Diaz. Many questioned what Atlas would bring to the table, if he was only along for the ride as a sideshow act given his theatrical antics.

Bradley’s demeanor during fight week and on fight night suggested a man with renewed confidence in his career. As much was picked up by the Top Rank staff, who are legitimately intrigued to learn just how much he has improved since his second fight with Pacquiao.

The fact that Atlas and Pacquiao’s longtime trainer, Hall-of-Fame cornerman Freddie Roach are none too shy in the public eye will conceivably add to the pre-fight build up.

As for how the promotion itself will run, the storyline becomes how much Bradley has improved and how Pacquiao looks following shoulder surgery after his 12-round loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in the most celebrated event in boxing history. That – and not the idea of the night being Pacquiao’s last fight before making a run for a seat in the Philippine Senate – is how the event handlers plan to present the first major Pay-Per-View of 2016.

“The real question here is the impact Teddy Atlas has on Bradley,” Arum notes as his chief selling point for the rubber match. “It will be interesting to see if Teddy is able to put him in a position where he can go from being competitive with Manny Pacquiao to beating him. That’s the story line.

“In my 50 years as a promoter, so much of what I’ve seen with fighters is psychological. A lot depends on the mindset going into and during a fight and Teddy is a master psychologist. Is he able to improve Bradley’s ability and style, and more importantly has he given him a psychological lift. I don’t know the answer. Neither does anyone else, which makes this fight so fascinating now.”

It remains to be seen how well that selling point goes over with the public, even if the early reaction has been far more resistance than interest. Arum understands it to a degree, but doesn’t at all agree with the outright dismissal of Bradley’s chances or what his new trainer brings to the table.

“A lot of people said that about Teddy’s mentor, the late Cus D’Amato but he had to have something given the results he produced. Look at the psychological lift he gave guys like (the late former two-time heavyweight champion) Floyd Patterson and (former light heavweight champion) Jose Torres, as well as of course Mike Tyson. If you close your eyes and listen to Teddy, it’s almost like listening to Cus at times.

“I know that Atlas is convinced that this new Timothy Bradley wins the fight. It’s easy for those on the outside to sit there and say that Teddy’s full of s***, that he doesn’t do anything for Bradley as a fighter. I’m not so sure that’s the case. What I see is a different kid in the ring, in training camp. It really intrigues me to see what he brings on April 9 and if Manny is prepared for it.”

Jake Donovan is the managing editor of BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox