Boxing Rumors 2015: Manny Pacquiao to Fight Bradley for the Third Time
Manny Pacquiao is at it again. While in the middle of a political campaign in the hope of winning a seat in the senate in his native Philippines, the Filipino boxer is again scheduled to return to the ring after losing to Floyd Mayweather Jr. earlier this year.
According to longtime promoter Bob Arum, the "Pacman" will be sharing the ring for the third time with American boxer Timothy Bradley, who he defeated the last time out. The fight is set on April 9 and is considered by Pacquiao as his final bout before retiring for good.
The Filipino's last fight against Mayweather was the richest in the history of boxing and it's no surprise that anybody, including the Filipino, would want to turn his back on the sport after earning millions in that fight.
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For many boxing pundits, the Pacquiao-Bradley fight this April, though taking place for the third time, is more fitting to be called as a rematch to their second fight because the first one was laced with a lot of uncertainty. Although the judges gave the first fight to Bradley, many believed Pacquiao convincingly won it.
The Filipino slugger is already a guaranteed Hall-of-Famer, but Bradley himself is no pushover, having only lost once (to Pacquiao) in his career. He's also coming in hot after winning against Brandon "Bam-bam" Rios last month.
For the Pacman, it certainly appears father time has finally caught up with him, having lost to Mayweather amid rumors after the fight that he came into the ring with a shoulder injury. He went under the knife to repair the torn rotator cuff on his right shoulder after the loss.
Before the announcement, Pacquiao was given the option to choose his April 9 opponent, with Arum providing him the choices, including undefeated American Terrence Crawford, British boxer Amir Khan, and Bradley. It is still uncertain, though, if it was Pacquiao who chose Bradley.
