MANILA, Philippines – Unbeaten American boxer Timothy Bradley Jr. is hoping that Filipino ring icon Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao will win his November 24 showdown against hard-hitting former champion Brandon “Bam Bam” Rios.
This is because Bradley, who defeated Pacquiao via a highly controversial split decision in June 2012, is hoping to get a rematch against the Filipino boxer.
“I just hope this guy wins, and beats Brandon Rios,” Bradley said in an interview with On the Ropes Boxing Radio. “And I hope he calls my name and says he wants to rematch me or something.”
Bradley recently defeated Mexican legend Juan Manuel Marquez to retain his WBO welterweight title, and although he has a host of options, he wants to fight Pacquiao again.
“Pacquiao, I want the Pacquiao fight,” Bradley said. “I want the Pacquiao fight for a couple of reasons.”
“One reason is because I can’t move on with my career, I can’t move forward. It’s always a dark side of my career. Every time someone even mentions Pacquiao, it bothers me,” he said.
Beating Pacquiao should have catapulted Bradley into stardom, yet the opposite happened as the American was widely perceived to be the underserving winner.
“I don’t think I lost,” Bradley said. “But a lot of people said that I lot, so I have to go back and revisit that. I got the guy that knocked him out -- Marquez -- and now I got to go back and seal the deal with Pacquiao.”
Bradley believes that if he fights – and beats – Pacquiao a second time, it will be “redemption” for him in a way, and will finally allow him to move on.
“Hopefully he will get into the ring with, hopefully we can fight again, and after I beat Pacquiao, then there is nothing else said about it, there is nothing else said about Pacquiao,” said Bradley.
“I’m going to beat him fair and square, and then I can move forward. Then I can go forward, but I have to go back and revisit that fight,” he added. “I have to fight this guy.”
source: www.abs-cbnnews.com
