Why Pacquiao-Bradley II makes sense

So why does Manny Pacquiao vs. Timothy Bradley for a second time make sense?

The first meeting between the two ended in controversy as Bradley was awarded a split-decision victory many believed he didn’t deserve.

The two will hook up again on April 12 at the MGM Grand on HBO PPV.
So why a second meeting?

Bradley (31-0) has done a lot since his win over Pacquiao (55-5), beating Ruslan Provodnikov in an epic slugfest and following that up with a big victory over Juan Manuel Marquez.

A win for Pacquiao would be a message to the naysayers that he is back and that his devastating loss by knockout to Marquez was just a bump in the road. It could also put more public pressure on Floyd Mayweather Jr. to agree to fight the Filipino politician.

A second win for Bradley, assuming there is no questionable scoring, would all but wipe out the controversy from the first fight.  It would be the icing on the cake of a career that is filled with quality victories.

Few can argue that Bradley, with wins over Marquez, Provodnikov, Joel Casamayor, Devon Alexander, Lamont Peterson, Kendall Holt and Junior Witter, has put together what could be a hall-of-fame career.

Could Bradley also be in line for a shot at Mayweather with a win? Possibly.

Bradley extended his promotional deal with Top Rank. Top Rank’s icy relationship with Golden Boy Promotions, Mayweather’s parter, would certainly put a potential bout between the two fighters in jeopardy.

But boxing is an unpredictable sport and money talks in most cases.

Financially, both fighters stand to gain a lot. Pacquiao’s cut from the bout will be $20 million, while Bradley will receive $6 million, according to a report on ESPN.com.

It will be a career take for Bradley. For Pacquiao, it will give him a chance to possibly settle some of his reported tax debt.

Both fighters will also receive a cut of the pay-per-view revenue.

The pay-per-view numbers from the first fight (890,000 buys) wasn’t quite up to normal Pacquiao standards. But its reasonable to assume that Bradley’s two wins and Pacquiao’s domination of Brandon Rios in November will up the ante.

Source: http://www.newsday.com/sports/boxing/the-neutral-corner-1.1276167/why-pacquiao-bradley-ii-makes-sense-1.6883409