By James Slater: As fans can only guess who superstar Manny Pacquiao will face next (most seem to have pretty much given up on Pac-Man getting it on with fellow megastar Floyd Mayweather Jr, at least not in his next outing), ace trainer Freddie Roach has gone on record as saying if it’s not Mayweather next, then he’d like Pacquiao to face Tim Bradley.
Speaking with Ringtv.com, Roach said “we need some new blood in there.”
Adding that Bradley “causes a little bit of a problem,” Freddie said he’d prefer the unbeaten 140-pound champ over a Miguel Cotto rematch (the whispered choice of next foe according to the rumour mill).
“I’d rather go with Bradley, because the Cotto thing is probably going to end the same way, I think.”
Agreed. Pacquiao was given a good run for his money by Cotto in their 2009 fight, pushing Pac-Man hard for four-rounds. But then the southpaw dynamo took over and administered a beating. Who wants to see that again; especially seeing as how Cotto would have to boil down to 147, thus weakening himself?
I agree with Roach: if not Mayweather next (or Marquez, who has apparently moved on, knowing he won’t get a fourth crack at his arch-rival), then “Desert Storm” is the best name on the list Bob Arum has in his hand.
Bradley is tough, he is strong and he has fought up at welterweight, and acquitted himself well, before. The 28-year-old with the 28-0(12) record is also a rough fighter on occasion (Roach joked to Ringtv.com that Bradley has “two pretty good punches and a really good head butt.” It would be interesting to see if Bradley’s physical prowess could cause the perhaps past his best, one time 106-pounder any problems.
Let’s face it: it’s almost certainly not going to be the fight the world wants to see in May; instead Pacquiao will face someone other than “Money” – and he’ll bag a whole lot of it without Mayweather Jr. Roach did say that he has hopes the super-fight can happen in November of this year, but as they say: don’t hold your breath.