Photo Credit: Will Hart by Kieran Mulvaney The last time Manny Pacquiao weighed in at the MGM Grand, it was for a fight in which he was knocked out. The time before that, it was for a fight that he seemingly won but actually lost. The time before that, it was for a fight that many thought he lost but which he officially won. But if that sequence of events has in any way diminished his popularity,...
Picking the winner for Bradley vs. Pacquiao II comes down to what one believes Manny has left at 35 years of age. The conviction here is it’s just enough to replicate the performance of two years ago and win a majority of rounds with a mixture of aggressiveness, power and still-potent speed. A more confident […] The post Bradley vs. Pacquiao II – The BBB Picks appeared first on Best...
LAS VEGAS -- Last month, Timothy Bradley told Yahoo Sports that he injured his feet during his first bout with Manny Pacquiao because he did not wear socks. Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach mocked Bradley about it and laughed when he heard Bradley said he did it because former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson once went without socks. "How stupid is that, to think that Tyson didn't wear socks when he...
Photo Credit: Will Hart By Kieran Mulvaney Timothy Bradley Jr. argues that Manny Pacquiao has lost the burning desire to excel in the ring. He cites as evidence the fact that none of Pacquiao's fights have ended in a blistering knockout since 2009 (except for the one occasion when he was the blistering knockoutee rather than the blistering knockouter); he notes, also, Pacquiao's failure to respond...
By CompuBox For WBO welterweight king Timothy Bradley and challenger Manny Pacquiao, Saturday's rematch is all about redemption. Pacquiao's reasons are obvious; the split decision loss snapped a 15-fight winning streak that saw him win titles from 130 to 154 and started what would become a two-fight losing skid. But for Bradley, the rematch is an opportunity to erase the stigma created by the outcry...
The first fight between Manny Pacquiao and Tim Bradley was, shall we say, controversial. That’s being too kind, it was an enormous tragedy of scoring by the judges. It was inexcusable. It’s obviously a huge backdrop to a fight that, on paper, is just as good as any that can be made in boxing. It’s an […]...
HBO Boxing Insider Kieran Mulvaney goes one-on-one with Timothy Bradley's trainer, Joel Diaz. ...
HBO Boxing Insider Kieran Mulvaney goes one on one with Pacquiao trainer, Freddie Roach. Pacquiao vs. Bradley 2 happens Sat., April 12 live on pay-per-view beginning at 9pm ET/6pm PT. ...
**** Repeat winners Springs Toledo, of thesweetscience.com, and Chris Mannix, of Sports Illustrated, head the list of honorees in the 13th annual Boxing Writers Association of America writing contest. Joining them with multiple placing entries is a newcomer to the competition, Carlos Acevedo, who writes for Esquina Boxeo and The Cruelest Sport, as well as […] TOLEDO, MANNIX, ACEVEDO, BORGES,...
**** Now, years after he last scored a KO, a fading Pacquiao looks for an odd form of revenge on Saturday night when he faces Timothy Bradley at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, in a rematch of a fight that was overshadowed by one of the strangest verdicts in years. Somehow, Bradley […] Double Down: Timothy Bradley and Manny Pacquiao Meet Again - The Cruelest Sport - The Cruelest Sport...
No matter how much time goes by, fight fans still hold a special place in their hearts for the elusive Mayweather-Pacquiao confrontation that’s induced an equal amount of boners, headaches, sneers, prayers and crying jags in the boxing world ever since the tantalizing idea first took root all the way back in 2009. And while […] The post What Might Have Been: The Spectre of Mayweather-Pacquiao...
LAS VEGAS – The dispute between Top Rank and the MGM widened Thursday when Top Rank CEO Bob Arum said he will consider legal action against the resort that is hosting the Manny Pacquiao-Timothy Bradley rematch Saturday in its Grand Garden Arena. Arum said the actions of the last several days, when advertisements for the May 3 Floyd Mayweather fight with Marcos Maidana were plastered all over the MGM...
Photo Credit: Will Hart By Kieran Mulvaney Timothy Bradley Jr. is a passionate guy at the best of times; his proverbial heart firmly affixed to his proverbial sleeve, he eschews filters and willingly shares his thoughts on any subject. So much so that he has discussed at length the fact that he had been badly concussed during his brutal 12-round war with Ruslan Provodnikov last year. In an age where...
Ray Beltran - Photo Credit: Will Hart By Nat Gottlieb Crossroads fights are intriguing by nature because drama is heightened when the stakes are high for both boxers. This is the case for each of the three fights on the Pacquiao-Bradley undercard. Raymondo Beltran (28-6-1, 17 KOs) vs. Arash Usmanee (20-1-1, 10 KOs) This shapes up as a difficult and important fight. Beltran was originally scheduled...
HBO Boxing Insider Kieran Mulvaney goes one on one with undefeated champion Timothy Bradley Jr. Pacquiao vs. Bradley 2 happens Sat., April 12 live on pay-per-view beginning at 9pm ET/6pm PT. ...
The scores for the first Pacquiao-Bradley fight ranged across the board – but aside from two of the three ringside judges, very few people actually had it for Bradley. Below, HBO Boxing Insiders offer their take on the first fight. Then watch the fight yourself and see how your score matches up: Eric Raskin: I scored the first fight 118-110, or 10-2 in rounds, for Pacquiao. I rescored it the morning...
LAS VEGAS -- An oversized photo of superstar boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. is festooned on the side of the MGM Grand and has for several years greeted visitors who are heading East on Tropicana Ave. toward Las Vegas Blvd. But it is not that smiling visage of boxing's pound-for-pound king which has made Top Rank CEO Bob Arum so irate. That photo is there as a result of a contract, and Arum said he is...
Photo Credit: Will Hart By Eric Raskin Boxers are a rare breed. We're talking about people who punch and get punched for a living. It's not an insult to say all boxers are at least a little bit crazy; it's simply an acknowledgement of something we, and they, know to be true. So for a writer to try to get inside a fighter's head is, admittedly, a challenge. But since when is that a reason not...
Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley Jr. address the media at the final press conference at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Pacquiao vs. Bradley 2 happens Sat., April 12 live on pay-per-view beginning at 9pm ET/6pm PT. ...
HBO Boxing Insider Kieran Mulvaney goes one on one with superstar Manny Pacquiao. Pacquiao vs. Bradley 2 happens Sat., April 12 live on pay-per-view beginning at 9pm ET/6pm PT. ...