Bradley packs wallop at 147; Pacquiao lighter on fight night

MANILA, Philippines—Contrary to perceptions, unbeaten American Tim Bradley is naturally bigger than Manny Pacquiao and will come in heavier than the Filipino ring superstar when they tangle on June 9 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Though Bradley (28-0, 12 KOs) is the reigning World Boxing Organization light welterweight champion, the 28-year-old South Californian has also fought as a welterweight and went as high as 152 pounds.

Bradley has been struggling to make 140 lb and believes he’ll be stronger at 147, where Pacquiao holds court as WBO welter king.

“It’s [147] is my natural weight,” Bradley told Ryan Burton of BoxingScene.com. Sunday. “People don’t know but in the amateurs I fought at 152.

“People say I don’t have power, but it is a real struggle to get down to 140. I walk around at 160 or more. I will be a lot more comfortable and have more pop at 147.”

Bradley said he intends to enter the ring at 150 or 151 lb, “give or take a pound or two.”

By way of comparison, Pacquiao walks around at about 154 and has never reached 150 on fight night.

In his last outing as a welterweight in 2010, Bradley handed Luis Carlos Abregu of Argentina his first loss in 30 fights. Abregu now holds a 31-1 record with 25 KOs.

A certified gym rat, Bradley stands to get his biggest paycheck ever of $5 million when he battles Pacquiao (53-3-2 with 38 KOs) in a 12-round bout to be shown on HBO pay-per-view.

Bradley got $1.2 million when he beat Joel Casamayor in the main support to Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez III won by majority decision by the Sarangani representative last November.

Pacquiao, on the other hand, is guaranteed at least $25 million, but is expected to receive much more with his share in PPV buys and gate receipts.

Pacquiao Bradley Fight

‘Dirty’ Tim Bradley is Manny Pacquiao’s foe

Tim Bradley gets a crack at Manny Pacquiao when they battle for the pound-for-pound king's WBO welterweight crown on June 9 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Carlos Osorio/AP

MANILA, Philippines—Tim Bradley is far from the pushover some boxing pundits are painting him to be and poses a legitimate threat to Manny Pacquiao, according to trainer Freddie Roach.

Bradley (28-0 with 12 knockouts) worries the renowned trainer because he is in his prime and brings in dirty tactics to the ring.

The Filipino eight-division world champion battles Bradley on June 9 in Las Vegas.

“He’s a dirty fighter, well, he’s a physical fighter,” Roach told Chris Robinson of examiner.com Saturday. “He uses his head, elbows, so forth.

“Manny does have some trouble with that because Manny can’t retaliate. I tell Manny that if a guy hits you low, hit him back low, but he won’t do that. It could pose a bit of a problem.”

The choice of Bradley was formally announced by Michael Koncz, Pacquiao’s adviser, on Monday (Tuesday in Manila).

“Bradley is a young, undefeated fighter who deserves a chance,” Koncz told ESPN.com’s Dan Rafael.

Koncz added that the 28-year-old Bradley’s selection over two other contenders—Lamont Peterson and Juan Manuel Marquez—sits well with Pacquiao, who will be staking his World Boxing Organization welterweight crown against his light welterweight counterpart.

“Manny is excited,” said Roach. “Until we name an opponent, boxing is out of Manny’s mind. He’s busy working in (the Philippine) congress. But he gets interested in boxing again when he has an opponent and a fight.”

Though Bradley holds court in the 140-pound division, he’s fought at 147 lb and 152 lb.

Bradley’s sterling record includes a 12-round unanimous decision over Lamont Peterson in 2009 and Devon Alexander last year.

Pacquiao is expected to receive a guaranteed $20 million against Bradley.

Pacquiao Bradley Fight

Pacquiao’s next fight most likely vs Bradley

MANILA, Philippines—There’s no official announcement yet, but recent developments point to Manny Pacquiao taking on unbeaten American Timothy Bradley in his next fight.

Bradley, the World Boxing Organization light welterweight champion, further boosted his stock for the megabuck bout with Pacquiao when Floyd Mayweather Jr. announced Wednesday (Thursday) that he’ll be going after Miguel Cotto’s World Boxing Association super welterweight (154 pounds) crown on May 5 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

In effect, Mayweather shut the door on a collision with pound-for-pound rival Pacquiao proposed for the same date.

Cotto, on the other hand, dropped his bid to exact revenge on Pacquiao, who stopped him in the 12th round in 2009.

Having an inkling that Mayweather is once again ducking him, Pacquiao announced on a television interview Wednesday night that Bradley is likely to be his next opponent.

Like Pacquiao, Bradley is also being promoted by Bob Arum’s Top Rank.

Two other candidates in the Pacquiao derby—Juan Manuel Marquez and Lamont Peterson—are being groomed for a July 14 fight at the Cowboys Stadium in Texas.

After being granted by the Nevada State Athletic Commission a one-fight license, Mayweather resumed his Twitter campaign against Pacquiao.

“I’m fighting Miguel Cotto on May 5th because Miss Pac Man is ducking me,” wrote Mayweather, who spoke with Pacquiao over the phone last month and offered a guaranteed $40 million to the Sarangani representative, sans a share of the pay-per-view buys.

Pacquiao, on the other hand, wanted a 50-50 split on all revenues.

Arum made a counteroffer of $45 million up front for Mayweather.

Pacquiao adviser Michael Koncz, who conferred with Mayweather several times, told the LA Times that Mayweather rejected a 55-45 percent sharing, with the bigger chunk going to the winner.

Pacquiao Bradley Fight