Tag Archives: Manny Pacquiao vs. Tim Bradley II

Trainer Joel Diaz unimpressed with Manny Pacquiao’s victory over Rios; claims his killer instinct is gone

Trainer Joel Diaz speaking in Los Angeles (Photo: Chris Robinson – www.HustleBoss.com)

By Chris Robinson

When it comes to the abilities of his fighter, WBO welterweight titlist Timothy Bradley, trainer Joel Diaz is as brazen as a supporter as you will.

A former title challenger himself back in his fighting days, Diaz talks with a sharp tongue and is often unforgiving in his assessments of opponents of his fighters.

That being said, it was no surprise to find out that Diaz is exuding confidence heading into Bradley’s big rematch against Pacquiao, set for April 12 inside of the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Speaking with me for a few moments before the Pacquiao-Bradley II kickoff press conference inside of the Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles, Diaz is eager to show that Bradley’s controversial split-decision victory over Pacquiao in their June 2012 encounter can be improved upon.

“We’re going to finish what we stated,” stated Diaz. “We’ve got unfinished business. Now we are here to give the people what they want to see.”

Bradley endeared himself to hardcore fans this past March with a gutsy, give and take battle over Ruslan Provodnikov and followed it up seven months later with a tactical and determined effort in edging Juan Manuel Marquez over twelve rounds.

“You guys seen it all,” Diaz stated. “You see Tim Bradley it out with Provodnikov and you guys saw Tim Bradley beat Juan Manuel Marquez. That said, Tim Bradley has built a lot of confidence and he has improved in his craft and he has matured.”

Pacquiao was last seen in the ring in November in Macau, China as he won a comfortable unanimous decision over Brandon Rios.

Coming off of a knockout loss to Marquez one fight prior, Pacquiao seemed to show that his body and mind were well up to the task as he was simply too fluid and fast for the come forward style of Rios.

Still, Diaz is far from convinced.

“I saw him against Brandon Rios,” Diaz affirmed. “And just watching the fight with Manny and him, I’m not going to lie, in the later rounds the fight became boring a little bit. He doesn’t have the spark. He doesn’t have the killer instinct that he used to have a few years ago.

“He’s getting older,” Diaz added. “A lot of fights. A lot of wear and tear. Plus, coming from a loss, the one he had, it’s big.”

CHECK BELOW FOR all-access Pacquiao-Bradley II press conference coverage from Los Angeles as well as other boxing updates…

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Chris Robinson can be reached at Trimond@aol.com

All-access Manny Pacquiao vs. Timothy Bradley II Los Angeles press conference coverage

HustleBoss.com was on hand inside of the Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles as WBO welterweight champion Tim Bradley and eight-division titlist Manny Pacquiao held their kickoff press conference ahead of their April 12 rematch. Check out the thumbnails for a closer look at stay tuned for more updates.

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Bob Arum affirms that Juan Manuel Marquez has interest in facing the Manny Pacquiao vs. Tim Bradley rematch winner

Mexico City’s Juan Manuel Marquez (Photo: Chris Robinson – www.HustleBoss.com)

By Chris Robinson

As noted in our previous post, Top Rank CEO Bob Arum is pleased with all aspects of the April 12 rematch between WBO welterweight titlist Tim Bradley and eight-division champion Manny Pacquiao.

What I also personally find interesting about the fight is just how much attention Juan Manuel Marquez will be giving to the match.

According to Arum, the Mexico City legend has expressed interest in facing the Pacquiao-Bradley II winner in an effort to land himself a belt in a fifth weight class.

“There seems no reason for him to fight [Ruslan] Provodnikov,” Arum said, referencing the Russian star who had called out Marquez.

“Marquez really wants only one thing before he retires,” Arum continued. “He wants to win that title. And he has indicated to us that he would be very available to fight the winner of Pacquiao and Bradley in the fall.”

Marquez lost a split-decision to Bradley this past October and ten months prior he scored his lone victory over Pacquiao with a devastating sixth round knockout in their fourth encounter.

Marquez had vehemently opposed a fifth meeting with Pacquiao in the past but now seems to have a different mindset.

“That is correct, so he’s obviously changed his tune,” Arum stated. “He doesn’t want to face Pacquiao again if Pacquiao is not successful with Bradley. But if Pacquiao is successful with Bradley, he has stated that he wants to face Pacquiao.”

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Chris Robinson can be reached at Trimond@aol.com

Bob Arum affirms that Juan Manuel Marquez is open to facing the Pacquiao-Bradley II winner

HustleBoss.com’s Chris Robinson continues to speak with Top Rank CEO Bob Arum, as the veteran promoter discusses the possibility of Juan Manuel Marquez facing the Pacquiao-Bradley II winner.

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Bob Arum affirms that Juan Manuel Marquez is open to facing the Pacquiao-Bradley II winner

HustleBoss.com’s Chris Robinson continues to speak with Top Rank CEO Bob Arum, as the veteran promoter discusses the possibility of Juan Manuel Marquez facing the Pacquiao-Bradley II winner.
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Bob Arum says that questions still remain for Manny Pacquiao

Top Rank CEO Bob Arum speaking in Las Vegas, Nevada (Photo: Chris Robinson – Hustle Boss)

By Chris Robinson

On Friday afternoon, I caught up with Top Rank CEO Bob Arum to discuss the April 12 Manny Pacquiao vs. Tim Bradley rematch as well as the latest news on some of his stable’s biggest stars such as Mikey Garcia, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Juan Manuel Marquez.

Pacquiao and Bradley will meet inside of the MGM Grand in a much-needed rematch for both men. Bradley won a split-decision over Pacquiao in June of 2012 that many felt he didn’t deserve and there is some definite unfinished business to settle.

Read below for a few sound bites from Arum.

An important fight…
“I think it’s a very important fight for both of them. Bradley got the decision over Manny and Manny wants revenge [and to] get his title back. That’s important for him. As far as Tim is concerned, he never got credit for winning the fight and now he wants a decisive win to prove that he’s the better fighter. I think this will be a very spirited, very good match and I’m proud of both of these guys for making this fight.”

Tim Bradley signing an extension with Top Rank ahead of the rematch…
“Tim is a terrific guy. It’s a real pleasure to promote him and Tim realizes the value of being associated with HBO and being part of the HBO family. That was very important for Tim and that was, I think, the major reason why he re-upped with Top Rank; because of the connection with HBO. And I’m very pleased that he did.”

Bradley regrouping in 2013…
“Going into the first fight, people didn’t give Bradley much of a chance. There were pretty big odds in favor of Pacquiao. Bradley was relatively unknown and he wasn’t the household name that’s he’s become. After the Pacquiao fight, he distinguished himself with two unbelievable fights. One, the fight with Provodnikov, the Fight of the Year last year, where he showed tremendous courage and grit. And then there was the fight with Marquez, where he fought a very, very good fight to win a decision. Bradley has a lot more credentials going into the second fight than he did when he went into the first fight.”

Questions still remaining for Manny…
“As far as Manny is concerned, he looked like a dominant force going into the Bradley fight. Then he had the knockout loss to Marquez. And that certainly was something to take into account; how would he react to getting knocked out so decisively? I think he answered that part in the Rios fight but questions still remain with Manny and we’ll see when Bradley tests him.”

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Chris Robinson can be reached at Trimond@aol.com

Bob Arum says that questions still remain for Manny Pacquiao heading into the Bradley rematch

HustleBoss.com’s Chris Robinson speaks with Top Rank CEO Bob Arum about the recently-announced April 12 matchup between Manny Pacquiao and Tim Bradley.

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Bob Arum says that questions still remain for Manny Pacquiao heading into the Bradley rematch

HustleBoss.com’s Chris Robinson speaks with Top Rank CEO Bob Arum about the recently-announced April 12 matchup between Manny Pacquiao and Tim Bradley.
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Israel Vazquez says the Tim Bradley rematch is a double-edged sword for Manny Pacquiao

HustleBoss.com’s Chris Robinson speaks with former two-time junior featherweight champion Israel Vazquez about the upcoming rematch between Tim Bradley and Manny Pacquiao, set for the MGM Grand on April 12, 2014.

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Israel Vazquez says the Tim Bradley rematch is a double-edged sword for Manny Pacquiao

HustleBoss.com’s Chris Robinson speaks with former two-time junior featherweight champion Israel Vazquez about the upcoming rematch between Tim Bradley and Manny Pacquiao, set for the MGM Grand on April 12, 2014
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Former two-time champion Israel Vazquez says the Tim Bradley rematch is like a double-edged sword for Manny Pacquiao

Former champion Israel Vazquez, left, speaking in Las Vegas (Photo: Chris Robinson – www.HustleBoss.com)

By Chris Robinson

These days, inside of the Mayweather Boxing Club in Las Vegas, you will find former two- time junior featherweight champion Israel Vazquez, as he is assisting his younger brother, 16-year old flyweight prospect Damien, ahead of his fourth professional bout next month.

Vazquez spoke with me for a few minutes following the team’s regimen, as I was curious for his thoughts on the recently-announced rematch between WBO welterweight titlist Tim Bradley and Manny Pacquiao that is set for this April in Las Vegas.

“It’s a very interesting fight,” Vazquez would state. “But then again it’s a sword with a double edge because if [Pacquiao] loses, most of the bonuses he had going for himself he’s going to end up going without.”

Pacquiao’s last outing came in November, when he put on an exhibition of speed, angles, and movement during his unanimous decision victory over Brandon Rios.

“Very intelligent,” Vazquez claimed of Pacquiao’s effort. “Very good fight. Manny fought a very intelligent fight and what he did, because Rios is a heavy puncher, he was very intelligent to stay away from that and came out victorious.”

One month prior, Bradley scored a benchmark victory over Juan Manuel Marquez that saw him use all of the tricks in his book in pulling out a well-deserved split-decision victory.

“Very intelligent fight too,” Vazquez noted. “He did what he had to do to keep on scoring points and the public saw the outcome [for] what it really should have been.”

As for an official prediction come April 12, Vazquez wouldn’t get off the fence.

“I praise both of them and the winner is going to [be] whoever does the right thing,” he stated.

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Chris Robinson can be reached at Trimond@aol.com

Tim Bradley speaks on why he chose to sign an extension with Top Rank ahead of the Pacquiao rematch

As reported by various sources, WBO welterwe ight champion Tim Bradley will be facing off with Manny Pacquiao on April 12 in Las Vegas in a big rematch on HBO pay per view.

Having defeated Pacquiao via split-decision in June of 2012, Bradley signed an extension with Top Rank ahead of the Pacquiao rematch and recently told BoxingScene.com’s Ryan Burton why it was such a logical choice.

“I am very happy with the deal,” said Bradley. “I am making six million dollars for this fight. I am very familiar with them. I don’t know anyone over there at Golden Boy. I like the familiarity and I have made a lot of money with Top Rank so I didn’t feel any reason to go anywhere else.”

To read the full write-up on Bradley, please click HERE

Chris Robinson can be reached at Trimond@aol.com

Joel Diaz insists he wants no controversy in the Pacquiao-Bradley rematch

Click below to access the full-length interview with Joel Diaz (Photo: Naoki Fukuda)

By Chris Robinson

On Sunday afternoon I caught up with trainer Joel Diaz, primarily to get his thoughts on the rematch that is set to take place between his fighter Tim Bradley and Manny Pacquiao this April in Las Vegas.

In June of 2012, Bradley upset Pacquiao via split-decision in a result that caused a great deal of backlash. Diaz admittedly was affected by all of the controversy that swirled around the first match and is preparing Bradley to erase all doubts the second time around.

Check below for highlights from my discussion with Diaz.

Just another fight…
“It’s just another fight. We’ve been in the ring with the guy already. We already know what he’s got. We already know what he’s going to do. We already know the strategy to beat him and most of all, we’re going into the fight against odds, as always.”

Staying away from controversy…
“People always underestimate Bradley. I can tell you it’s not going to be easy for Pacquiao to beat Bradley. [The fight] is going to give us peace of mind. Because of the controversy, the majority of people in the world didn’t think Bradley won that fight. So now we’re going into this fight with the mentality that it cannot be a controversy. We’re going to have to go in there and win and worst case scenario, we lose, that’s just the way the sport is.”

Learning from the first Pacquiao fight…
“What we learned from Pacquiao is Pacquiao is a strong fighter. He has speed but at the same time his speed is not fast enough to catch Bradley because in that fight you saw that the commentators misinformed the whole world; making Manny Pacquiao the great fighter, which he wasn’t. At the end of 12 rounds, Tim’s face was completely clear and clean. Tim Bradley wasn’t even sore from his face. He hardly got hit.”

Not the same Manny…
“Manny Pacquiao was only fighting 30 seconds out of every round. We learned that when you can’t hit your opponent, obviously you get frustrated. Pacquiao just got frustrated, obviously because he couldn’t hit Bradley. This time around, I know that with a little help that Juan Manuel Marquez put in for us by putting him to sleep, I just think that Manny Pacquiao, at this point in his career, he’s not the Pacquiao that he was three or four years ago.”

Ready to fight…
“Timothy’s confidence is high after he beat Juan Manuel Marquez. He’s a more mature fighter. He knows what to expect because he’s been in the ring with Manny. We just want the whole world to know that we’re ready to fight and most of all we want to walk away with no controversy.”

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Chris Robinson can be reached at Trimond@aol.com

Joel Diaz opens up on Pacquiao vs Bradley II: ‘We want to walk away with no controversy’

Trainer Joel Diaz speaks with HustleBoss.com about the April 12 rematch between his fighter, WBO welterweight champion Tim Bradley, and Manny Pacquiao.

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Joel Diaz opens up on Pacquiao vs Bradley II: ‘We want to walk away with no controversy’

Trainer Joel Diaz speaks with HustleBoss.com about the April 12 rematch between his fighter, WBO welterweight champion Tim Bradley, and Manny Pacquiao.
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Larry Merchant says Manny Pacquiao will have to outfight Tim Bradley in their rematch

Chris Robinson speaks with former HBO analyst Larry Merchant, as he gives his reaction to the news that Manny Pacquiao and Tim Bradley will meet again this April in Las Vegas.

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Larry Merchant says Manny Pacquiao will have to outfight Tim Bradley in their rematch

Chris Robinson speaks with former HBO analyst Larry Merchant, as he gives his reaction to the news that Manny Pacquiao and Tim Bradley will meet again this April in Las Vegas.
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Larry Merchant says Manny Pacquiao will have to outfight Tim Bradley in their rematch

Listen to the exclusive audio of Larry Merchant breaking down Pacquiao vs. Bradley II (Photo: Naoki Fukuda)

By Chris Robinson

Boxing’s next big rematch is on its way, as it was officially announced that Manny Pacquiao and Tim Bradley will lock horns yet again inside of the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 12.

Bradley won a highly-unpopular split-decision over Pacquiao in June of 2012 and there is definitely some unfinished business on the table.

Catching up with former HBO analyst Larry Merchant over the weekend, he insists the matchup is even on paper.

“I think it’s the fight that had to be made and I think don’t think Pacquiao needs to outbox Bradley,” Merchant revealed. “For me it’s a pick em’ fight.”

Asked what it is about Bradley that resonates, Merchant pointed towards his successful 2013 campaign that saw him win a hellacious firefight against Ruslan Provodnikov before returning to edge Juan Manuel Marquez in competitive chess match.

“His resilience,” said Merchant. “He came back and fought the kind of fight we didn’t know he had in him against Provodnikov. And then he comes back and he beats Marquez. Those are important statements.”

Many saw Pacquiao out boxing Bradley in their first match but Merchant feels that the Filipino star will have to take things even further in the second encounter.

“I question whether Pacquiao can just outbox Bradley,” Merchant said. “I think he’s going to have to outfight him. And we don’t know if that’s where Pacquiao wants to go.”

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Chris Robinson can be reached at Trimond@aol.com

Talking Manny Pacquiao vs. Tim Bradley II at the Mayweather Boxing Club

HustleBoss.com goes behind the scenes inside of the Mayweather Boxing Club as several fighters speak on the possibility of Manny Pacquiao having a rematch with Tim Bradley in the near future.

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