Manny Pacquiao vs. Timothy Bradley II Finalized for April 12; Bob Arum Says Rematch Will Be Bigger Than First
- Paul John Rivera
- Jan 25, 2014 04:55 PM EST
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Top Rank Promotions announced on Saturday that the rematch between Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley has been finalized.
Through a press release published by BoxingScene, Top Rank confirmed earlier reports indicating that Pacquiao and Bradley would square off against each other again on April 12 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Reports indicated that the two fighters and their respective camps will have a press tour in the United States that will kick off on Feb. 3, which will be followed by press conferences on Feb. 4 and Feb. 6 in Los Angeles and New York, respectively.
Pacquiao, who was also linked to a possible fight with Ruslan Provodnikov and Robert Guerrero in April, opted to pick Bradley in hopes of avenging his controversial loss to Bradley in their first showdown in June 2012.
Bradley took the WBO welterweight title from Pacquiao and also ended the former pound-for-pound king's 15-match winning streak with a split decision victory. The decision was blasted by fight experts and fans, with most of them saying that Pacquiao should have been awarded a unanimous decision win.
Top Rank CEO Bob Arum expressed excitement about the second showdown between two of the best pound-for-pound fighters, saying that the next Pacquiao-Bradley fight will be bigger than their first showdown.
Aside from the bad blood between the two fighters, Arum said that Bradley is more sellable at this point following his impressive victories in his last two fights.
Bradley scored a unanimous decision victory over Provodnikov in their title brutal match in March last year, which was followed by a split decision win over Juan Manuel Marquez in October last year. The world-renowned promoter stressed that Bradley is much improved at this point compared to what he was during their first showdown.
"I think a Bradley-Pacquiao fight now is much more saleable than the Bradley-Pacquiao fight was when it happened, because Bradley has shined his credentials," Arum said. "He had an exciting fight with Provodnikov and beat Marquez. We're dealing with a different Bradley from the relatively unknown guy who fought Pacquiao the first time."
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