Tag Archives: Manny Pacquiao vs. Tim Bradley II

Ronnie Shields on Manny Pacquiao: ‘As long as he got the desire he’s going to continue and there’s still a lot guys he can beat’

Manny Pacquiao facing off with Tim Bradley in Las Vegas (Photo: Naoki Fukuda)

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By Chris Robinson

When it comes to straightforward boxing talk, respected trainer and former contender Ronnie Shields is one of the best.

I spoke with Shields recently about various subjects, including his stable of fighters out of his Houston hotbed, most notably interim WBA junior middleweight champion Erislandy Lara, who faces off with Canelo Alvarez on July 12 in Las Vegas.

As our conversation wrapped up, Shields weighed in on Manny Pacquiao’s revenge victory over Tim Bradley, who he defeated via unanimous decision on April 12 in a big rematch.

Pacquiao fought a very solid fight vs. Bradley, picking up serious momentum as the match reached the midway point before controlling the second half of the action.

“I think Manny showed he lost a step or two but he did what he had to do to win,” Shield said of the eight-division titlist. “Bradley, you could see he hurt his leg in like the fifth or sixth round. He fought the best fight he could possibly fight. He’s a warrior and he did the best he could.

“Manny’s Manny,” Shields added. “He throws punches from every angle, from all over the place. He couldn’t get Bradley out of there. Bradley is a tough, strong, young guy. I picked Pacquiao to win and he did win and the rest is history.”

Now 35 years old and still restoring the luster that was knocked from his career following his devastating knockout loss to Juan Manuel Marquez, Pacquiao may not be the same ferocious tyrant who ran up boxing’s weight ladder with frightening success five years back, yet he is still extremely capable, claims Shields.

“A few years ago, to me, he was the best fighter in the world,” Shields explained. “But now he’s not; Floyd Mayweather is. I still think Manny is getting older now and his punches aren’t as crisp as they were before. He’s getting hit more. It’s just a sign that the end is coming.

“But he has a lot of experience, he still trains hard, so just as long as he got the desire, he’s going to continue,” Shields noted. “And there’s still a lot of guys he can beat out there.”

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 Chris Robinson can be reached at Trimond@aol.com

 

Mikey Garcia admits that Manny Pacquiao performed better than he expected in the Bradley rematch

Mikey Garcia speaking in Las Vegas (Photo: Chris Robinson – www.HustleBoss.com)

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By Chris Robinson

Following his rematch victory over Tim Bradley earlier this month, Manny Pacquiao has received mostly positive feedback from boxing fans and insiders.

Extracting revenge against Bradley for a controversial split-decision loss he suffered to him in June of 2012, Pacquiao was sharp with his fists and fleet of foot, especially as he built up momentum and pulled away in the second half of the match.

Catching up with reigning WBO junior lightweight champion Mikey Garcia to get his thoughts on the fight, he too seemed impressed with Pacquiao’s effort.

“He performed better than I expected,” Garcia admitted. “I was expecting Bradley to perform a lot better than the first fight and make it a more interesting fight for him. But Bradley kind of faded after a four or five rounds. Started to fad a little bit and wasn’t using his speed or footwork.

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“But Pacquiao showed a lot,” Garcia added. “He showed good footwork, good power, more aggressive style this fight than the last time. He did real well.”

It’s been confirmed that Top Rank is interested in putting Pacquiao in the ring with the winner of the May 17 Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Mike Alvarado matchup. Pacquiao has already faced Marquez four times and Garcia is unsure how a fifth fight would appeal to everyone.

“Marquez, we’ve seen that many times,” Garcia explained. “I don’t know if people will want to keep watching it. They’ll watch it because it’s them two, but I’d rather see Pacquiao fight some other younger upcoming fighters or young champions. Marquez could probably fight somebody else also. They already fought many times. Everybody’s seen that.”

Of course, a Marquez victory over Alvarado isn’t for certain, as Garcia took a minute to assess the clash.

“It’s going to be a tough fight,” said Garcia. “Alvarado always gives everything. He comes in and puts everything on the line. He’s very strong. Take a punch. Give a punch. Marquez is going to try to counter him. I think Marquez will eventually counter him to the point where he could maybe start hurting him little by little. It’s a very tough fight for both of them.”

Chris Robinson can be reached at Trimond@aol.com

Larry Merchant feels Manny Pacquiao was the reason Tim Bradley fought the way he did in the second half of their rematch

Manny Pacquiao and Tim Bradley earlier this month in Las Vegas (Photo: Naoki Fukuda)

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By Chris Robinson

While veteran analyst Larry Merchant may have given Manny Pacquiao the same amount of rounds vs. Tim Bradley in their rematch as he did in their first meeting, he feels the fight itself had a completely different feel to it.

Inside of the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on April 12, Pacquiao got revenge for a controversial June 2012 split-decision loss to Bradley by out slicking him in the second half of their rematch and pulling out a unanimous decision.

Each man had endured much physically and mentally since their first clash, Pacquiao being blitzed by Juan Manuel Marquez and Bradley going to war with Ruslan Provodnikov, and Merchant could feel the intrigue.

“I scored it similarly to the original fight,” Merchant stated. “I thought that it was a very electric event because of what both fighters have been through since their original fight. I thought that Pacquiao, with his speed and boxing ability, pressured Bradley into trying to get lucky. And good is usually better than lucky.”

Bradley put up an excellent boxing effort against Marquez in capturing a split-decision victory this past October yet he was far more aggressive against Pacquiao six months later.

“I don’t know why Bradley didn’t stick to the same kind of boxing plan he had successfully against Marquez, but he didn’t,” Merchant explained. “I have to assume it’s because he found out that Pacquiao was a little too quick and a little too good. I was perplexed by how he fought in the last half of the fight; just hoping to land a big punch.”

Digging in a bit further, Merchant feels that Pacquiao deserves the credit for neutralizing Bradley down the stretch.

“I don’t know what caused that exactly,” said Merchant. “But I always think there is cause and effect in a fight and if he was reduced to just trying to get lucky there must have been a good reason for it and the good reason must have been Pacquiao.”

Chris Robinson can be reached at Trimond@aol.com

J’Leon Love: ‘I want to see what the whole world wants to see; Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather’

Manny Pacquiao and some members from his team following his recent victory over Tim Bradley in Las Vegas (Photo: Chris Farina – Top Rank)

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By Chris Robinson

With his unanimous decision victory over Tim Bradley in their April 12 rematch, eight-division world titlist Manny Pacquiao showed that he still has plenty left in his tank at the age of 35.

While Pacquiao may not be the force he was five years ago during his initial run through the welterweight ranks, he is still a committed athlete with great upside in several areas.

Super middleweight prospect J’Leon Love (17-0, 10 KO’s) was able to take in the action and admits he was pulling for the former champion from Palm Springs.
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Lydell Rhodes on Manny Pacquiao: ‘Avenging that loss only makes his legacy greater’

Manny Pacquiao following his victory over Tim Bradley on Saturday night (Photo: Chris Farina – Top Rank)

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By Chris Robinson

Having shared some intimate moments with Manny Pacquiao as his chief sparring partner the past several weeks, Lydell Rhodes had as unique of a perspective as anyone as to the Filipino icon’s unanimous decision victory over Tim Bradley on Saturday night.

Clearly out slicking Bradley in the second half of their rematch inside of Las Vegas’ MGM Grand, Pacquiao showed that he still has a good deal left in his tank at 35 years old.

“I felt Manny did exactly what he needed to do to get the victory over a very game Tim Bradley,” Rhodes said of Pacquiao’s performance. “So my hat goes off to him, and avenging that loss only makes his legacy greater.”
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