Manny Pacquiao and Tim Bradley at their final press conference in Las Vegas prior to their April 12 rematch – www.HustleBoss.com)
By Chris Robinson
Having taken in several big fight weeks in Las Vegas, it’s always an interesting atmosphere as the days pass by.
For the main event fighters, a fight week symbols the end of the hard work in training as the attention turns to fielding the throng of questions from various media members while making sure to maintain a desired mental focus.
At Wednesday’s final press conference, I may have only shared a brief minute with Manny Pacquiao, yet I was able to get a nice read on the eight-division champion’s state of mind heading into his 63rd professional bout, a rematch with WBO welterweight champion Tim Bradley this Saturday night at the MGM Grand.
In June of 2012, Pacquiao’s upset split-decision loss to Bradley was the talk of the boxing world due to the controversy surrounding the match.
The overwhelming majority of the public had Pacquiao winning clearly after 12 rounds and he appeared, at least in the first half of the fight, to not be affected by any of Bradley’s punches.
“No, I [didn’t] feel,” Pacquiao would state, starting off our discussion.
I asked the Filipino icon if knowing such information helped give him confidence and he modestly replied “Yes”.
When questioned if he thinks he could even walk through Bradley, Pacquiao simply grinned while nodding his head.
And while the dialogue was short and to the point, it was very clear to spot just how genuinely confident and eager to fight Pacquiao is.
I’m personally intrigued to see what plan of attack each man will bring into the ring.
*** Want more from Camp Pacquiao? Please click the thumbnails below…
On Wednesday morning, Manny Pacquiao exuded a little bit of tranquility as he ran some laps with some members of his team at the UNLV track in Las Vegas, Nevada. Following his run, Pacquiao put in some strength and conditioning work and will be hosting the final press conference for his rematch with Tim Bradley later today at the MGM Grand.
Click on the thumbnail for a closer look..
“Photos from the Wild Card Boxing Club and other spots in Los Angeles as undefeated lightweight prospect Lydell Rhodes (19-0, 9 KO’s) enjoys his time as a chief sparring for eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao.
Check out the thumbnail on the left for an all-access look at Rhodes in training, running Griffith Park, chilling with Miguel Cotto, and more.”
*** FOR A BONUS VISIT back in Pacquiao’s career in photos, check the thumbnails below…
Chris Robinson can be reached at Trimond@aol.com
