LOS ANGELES — Timothy Bradley never imagined he would have to avenge a victory.
When the welterweight champion defeated Manny Pacquiao two years ago on two injured feet, he thought for an instant that he had reached the pinnacle of boxing. He hadn’t even left the MGM Grand Garden ring before learning that practically nobody agreed with the two judges who gave him that split decision.
After death threats, depression and a remarkable personal transformation, Bradley (31-0, 12 KOs) returns to that ring tonight in Las Vegas for a rematch with the Filipino congressman. Bradley intends to let out two years of humiliation and frustration with a decisive win over Pacquiao, finally earning the credit that was two years deferred.
“I always believed you only get one chance, but this is my second chance here,” Bradley said. “It’s my second chance to be a part of greatness and defeat a guy like Manny Pacquiao, who is one of the top fighters of all time. This guy has fought everybody. To get a win over a guy like this who’s an icon, it would be epic.”
Yet the fight might be even more important to the career of the 35-year-old Pacquiao (55-5-2, 38 KOs), whose ascendance through the sport slowed with two losses in 2012. The eight-division champion is fighting both Bradley and the widespread perception that he has lost his competitive fire, becoming more interested in politics and compassion than the brutal business of boxing.
Pacquiao and his trainer, Freddie Roach, insist HBO’s pay-per-view buyers will see the Pacman who ate up every opponent in front of him on a 15-fight win streak before Bradley’s debatable decision.
“This time around, I think I have to finish the business first before I become friendly to him,” Pacquiao said. “We have our business to do in the ring. I have to do all I can do.”
There’s little doubt both fighters will be completely prepared for this rematch after two years of incessant talk about what happened in those 12 rounds. They’re also both in top shape: Bradley weighed in at 145½ pounds Friday, while Pacquiao was hydrating even before weighing 145 pounds on the MGM Grand Garden scales.
“The first time around, I was injured from the second round on, and I still found a way,” Bradley said. “This time around, I’m not injured. And I’m wearing socks. I will be wearing socks.”
Indeed, Bradley infamously slid around the canvas in the first bout because he didn’t wear socks, inexplicably choosing the biggest fight of his life to emulate Mike Tyson’s sockless ring style. Roach, who trained Tyson, could have told Bradley that Iron Mike actually wore low socks.
Roach once rejected the idea of a rematch with Bradley, saying the Palm Springs-area fighter couldn’t sell a ticket to help Pacquiao. Along with the rest of the boxing world, Roach gained a new respect for Bradley last year after his sensational brawl with Ruslan Provodnikov — also trained by Roach — and a crisp win over Juan Manuel Marquez.
“Bradley is a better fighter than some people give him credit for, and we know he has a lot of heart,” Roach said. “That doesn’t change the fact that Manny has a plan that will beat him again — this time for real.”
