By Michael Collins: The MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada wasn’t a good enough venue for Bob Arum to want to match his fighter WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao up with Floyd Mayweather Jr., but it apparently is more than good enough for Arum to match Pacquiao up with WBO light welterweight champion Timothy Bradley on June 9th.
According to RingTV, Pacquiao and Bradley will meet on June 9th at the MGM Grand. Top Rank CEO Bob Arum and Pacquiao’s advisor Michael Koncz met with Bradley’s manager Cameron Dunkin and an agreement was made today for the Bradley-Pacquiao fight.
This news likely won’t be met with a huge amount of enthusiasm from boxing fans, as few of them wanted to see this match-up made. This was Arum’ baby and it seems kind of a wrong-headed idea along the same lines as the Pacquiao vs. Joshua Clottey fight that was made in 2010. Clottey, like Bradley, was also a Top Rank fighter and the bout failed to bring in big pay per view numbers.
Bradley, 5’6″, is even smaller than Pacquiao and not very fast or a big puncher. He’s at a huge disadvantage in almost every area you can think of for this fight except for youth and wear and tear. Pacquiao, 33, is a little bit older than the 28-year-old Bradley but has been through a lot more wars than him. In Pacquiao’s last four fights he’s looked slower and not moved as well around the ring as he did earlier in his career. There has been excuses about Pacquiao suffering leg cramps but that excuse is rather hallow given that Pacquiao’s movement has been limited for his last four fights, not just his last one. You can make a strong argument that Pacquiao didn’t deserve a win in his last fight against the near 40-year-old lightweight Juan Manuel Marquez. Pacquiao got the win but looked older than Marquez.
Bradley isn’t much of a threat to beat Pacquiao, so this shouldn’t be a fight that derails the Pacquiao gravy train. In addition to this fight, Arum is looking to put together an April 14th fight between Marquez and Lamont Peterson at the Cowboys’ stadium in Arlington, Texas. The winner of Pacquiao vs. Bradley and Marquez vs. Peterson will meet in November. There won’t be a Mayweather-Pacquiao fight in 2012 if this little tournament happens, but then again the chances of a Pacquiao vs. Mayweather fight happening were slim and none even without the tourney.