Puerto Rican boxing champ Miguel Cotto is reported to be joining Manny Pacquiao in his General Santos City (Gensan) training camp while the Filipino star is preparing for his crucial rematch with Timothy Bradley on April 12 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Boxing fans are asking why Cotto will be training alongside Pacquiao for his own upcoming fight with Sergio Martinez of Argentina on June 7.
For the uninformed fans, Cotto and Pacquiao have a common trainer in the person of Freddie Roach, who has an array of aspiring fighters training at his own Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood.
Because of his tight schedule, Roach had to do simultaneous training of two fighters under him in a camp. He has done the same with British boxing idol Amir Khan, who used to be trained by him.
Roach, who is also the trainer of Chinese Olympic gold medalist Zou Shiming, will begin training Pacquiao Monday alongside Cotto.
To Roach's credit, Shiming stopped his Thai opponent in the seventh round of his fourth professional fight at the Cotai Arena in Macau, China over the weekend. It was Shiming's first knockout win in his pro career.
For convenience, Roach will be dividing his time with Pacquiao and Cotto with assistance from the boxers' own coaching staff.
It was reported that Cotto and Pacquiao will move to Roach's own Wild Card Gym in Hollywood after three to four weeks of training in Gensan.
The Puerto Rican is reportedly sparring with Pacquiao in Gensan but Roach dismissed the report, saying he will see Pacquiao's condition upon his arrival in the camp.
Cotto and Pacquiao fought in a highly competitive fight that ended in a twelfth round TKO in favor of Pacquiao at the MGM Grand in November 2009.
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“Trainer of the Year” Freddie Roach who was scheduled to leave on Monday to join ”Fighter of the Decade” Manny Pacquiao at his training camp in General Santos City disclosed that even if Miguel Cotto trains alongside Pacquiao, he will not spar with him.
Roach told the Manila Standard on his arrival from Macau on Sunday that Cotto would train at the Pacman Wild Card Gym should Pacquiao decide to train in his hometown for four weeks which was the original plan. Otherwise, he said, if Pacquiao decides to leave for the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles earlier, Cotto would join him there.
Roach said he would have a clearer picture once he meets with Pacquiao on Monday.
The celebrated trainer dismissed reports that Cotto would spar with Pacquiao who scored a 12th round TKO over the Puerto Rican in November 2011 pointing out that the former three division champion has moved up in weight and is now fighting at 160 pounds and will challenge middleweight champion Sergio Martinez of Argentina at New York’s Madison Square Garden on June 7.
He said he would check on how Pacquiao’s condition is as he planned to begin sparring this week with undefeated former Floyd Mayweather Sr protégé Lydell Rhodes (19-0, 9 KO’s).
Roach also confirmed a Standard story last week that former world light welterweight champion Kendall Holt who lost his title to Bradley by a unanimous decision despite dropping the undefeated Bradley once in round one and once more in round twelve, would be among Pacquiao’s sparring partners in Los Angeles.
Roach said he plans to train Pacquiao to be more aggressive in his April 12 rematch with Bradley at the MGM Grand Garden Hotel in Las Vegas and indicated while he won’t go looking for a knockout he will take it if he gets an opening.
Pacquiao’s adviser Michael Koncz who arrived with Roach from Macau told us that Pacquiao’s training had been going well and it will “step up a notch now that Freddie is here.”
Koncz said in his mind “nothing short of a knockout will do” to help Pacquiao regain his stature as an elite fighter.
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It is almost unthinkable to see Timothy Bradley engaging Manny Pacquiao toe-to-toe when they face each other in a rematch on April 12 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.
For Bradley to wander around Pacquiao's territory even in the early rounds would be disastrous if not outright suicidal, knowing Pacquiao's ability to find unobstructed targets at close range.
Pacquiao's accuracy in a toe-to-toe engagement was evident in his fight against Ricky Hatton in Las Vegas in 2009 where he knocked down Hatton twice in the first round and finished him via a stunning knockout in the second round.
Pacquiao likes to engage opponents who enter his territory with inadequate defense and Bradley is aware of it.
It is possible though that he will take the risk to penetrate Pacquiao's lair to score a knockdown similar to the one Pacquiao got from Juan Manuel Marquez in 2012.
In his fight against Ruslan Provodnikov last year, Bradley started aggressively and was finding his targets but he got staggered in the early rounds and took a knee in the last round but managed to beat the count.
Roach disputed claims that Bradley has improved significantly since his first encounter with Pacquiao.
"I don't think he's better, I think he's the same guy," Roach said. "He's a good boxer but sometimes he tends to get into a fight, and that's when he mistakes, because he likes to exchange sometimes."
Roach is confident Pacquiao will win the fight, saying he is faster and the better fighter of the two.
"When he exchanges with Manny, Manny is the better, faster puncher, and the better puncher of the two, and like Ruslan was, and he'll be able to hurt him. But if he runs the whole night long, then he'll make it a little bit of a boring fight. But it's hard to a win backing up so there will be points where he'll have to exchange with us, and we're going to have the advantage, I think."
Provodnikov, who is Pacquiao's former sparring mate said Pacquiao should be the aggressor in order to secure a win over Bradley.
“I think that if Pacquiao will not be aggressive, then we will see the same exact thing that we saw in their first fight,” he said, referring to the controversial decision that cost Pacquiao his WBO welterweight title against Bradley.
Having fought Bradley and knowing Pacquiao's fighting style as a former sparing partner, Provodnikov certainly knows how to deal with Bradley.
Most likely Roach, who is also Provodnikov's trainer, will agree with his observation.
http://www.digitaljournal.com/
Team Manny Pacquiao is eyeing a four-man sparring group to help the eight-division champion prepare for his coming grudge rematch with World Boxing Organization Timothy Bradley on April 12 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Two of those being eyed are former world belt-owners themselves - ex-International Boxing Federation Steve Forbes lightweight champ and once WBO junior welterweight titleholder Kendall Holt - who, most-likely would join the team when preparations move to the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles.
A third choice, Lydell Rhodes, is already in General Santos City where Pacquiao is currently holding camp under assistant trainers - brothers Buboy Fernandez and Roger "Haplas" Fernandez.
A still unnamed mate will complete the four-member sparring team in the hope of providing the four-division lineal kingpin the needed power, speed and ring savvy he expects to come from Bradley. Rhodes, undefeated so far in 19 fights with 9 KOs, has been observing Pacquiao's training since arriving with the champ's business consultant Michael Koncz Sunday last week.
The sparring portion of the camp, according to Buboy, could start as early as next week when chief trainer Freddie Roach shall have set foot from Macau where he was supposed to supervise Chinese Olympian Zhou Shiming's fight against Thai Yokthong Kokietgym at the Cotai Arena Saturday night.
"Ready na si Manny sa sparring, kahit sa Monday magsimula," Buboy reported following the first two weeks at the Pacman Wild Card seats shop consisting of roadwork every morning and doing the mitts and visiting the heavy bags and bxall in the afternoon.
"Kondisyon na kasi nasu-suplementohan yung roadwork ng basketball sa gabi pagkatapos ng training sa maghapon," Buboy assured. Roach is expected to arrive in Manila today and will immediately take a flight to GenSan this afternoon.
Both the 35-year-old Sarangani Congressman and Roach promised to hand Bradley, who took the 147-pound title from Pacquiao via questionable split decision in 2012, not only his first loss but by a knockout at that.
Holt (28-6 with 15-KOs), Rhodes (19-0 with 9 KOs) and Forbes 35-12 with 11 KOs are reportedly mixers approximating Bradley's fighting style., which the Filipino ring icon needs to accomplish his mission of avenging that 2012 defeat.
Pacquiao, actually suffered a pair of setbacks that year, which he considers the bleakest spot in his otherwise successful and colorful 18-year boxing career counting his devastating KO loss to arch rival Juan Manuel Marquez.
He succeeded his initial comeback fight by overwhelming Brandon Rios in a 12-round unanimous decision November last year, also in Macau.
http://philboxing.com/
Deep into his training camp, Cathedral City’s Timothy Bradley was more than happy to take time out of his schedule to be the grand marshal of Saturday’s Black History Month parade because “it runs deep in my roots.”
The parade begins at 11 a.m. and runs up the Palm Springs strip, starting at Arenas Road and ending at Alejo. Afterward, a town fair runs from noon to 6 p.m. at Frances Stevens Park on 500 N. Palm Canyon.
Bradley, the undefeated WBO welterweight champion, grew up in north Palm Springs and his family attended the parade annually. It was an event everyone looked forward to. For the weekend, it will be a chance for Bradley to reunite with friends.
“It runs deep in my roots, it runs in my bloodline,” Bradley said. “Everyone got amped up for this parade and this big celebration every single year since I was a kid. This is amazing they’ve been keeping this tradition going on every year and I’m glad to be a part of it.
“My sisters and cousins and family and friends, everyone was involved with this parade. It’s a big celebration for Black History Month with a lot of entertainment.”
The interaction of everyone in the community is another aspect Bradley loves about the parade. One of Bradley’s family friends is James Rougley, who helped organize the parade in the past and was a positive role model when Bradley was a child.
“When we were away from home, he was a father figure,” Bradley said of Rougley, who today is his strength and conditioning coach. “He used to tell us, you have no reason to fail or be in the same place. You are somebody. It doesn’t matter about the color of your skin or where you come from. You’re somebody and you can make something of yourself. He preached that to us at a young age and that stuck with us. It stuck with me. I’ve always had a great deal of respect for Mr. Rougley.”
Bradley will serve as the grand marshal between two training sessions Saturday as he prepares for his April 12 title defense against Manny Pacquiao in Las Vegas. Bradley said he has an early morning workout, and another one after the parade.
This is the second time the 30-year-old Bradley has served as the grand marshal. Bradley said the first time was in 2009, just after he won his first world title.
“It was awesome. I felt like I made it,” Bradley said. “The people, especially from the black community, were proud of what I had done.”
http://www.mydesert.com/
Timothy Bradley is a picture of confidence when he and Manny Pacquiao graced New York City in their second and final stop of a two city presser to promote their April 12 rematch.
The current WBO champion, by virtue of a controversial win over Pacquiao in 2012, likened himself to a bullfighter whose intent is to subdue a turbulent beast that is his former foe.
“Matador versus The Bull. That is what this will be called. That will be the name of this promotion. Matador versus The Bull, Manny Pacquiao is going to be the bull and I’m going to be the matador.”
Bradley unbeaten in 31 fights scored the biggest victory of his career when he scored an upset over Pacquiao at The MGM Grand in Las Vegas in a debatable split decision nod in their first meeting.
Majority in the sport of boxing believed that he did not deserve the win, Pacquiao included.
Bradley drew a lot of flak from the fans, the press and the public who saw him grab Pacquiao’s old belt by the way of the unpopular judgment at ringside.
But Bradley’s victory withstood all criticisms and the golden strap remained in his belt for almost two years and two successful defenses.
And that is why Bradley wanted this fight so bad, to prove himself against Pacquiao and the rest of boxing.
He calls it his “redemption.”
“This is redemption. I’ve already got a win over Manny Pacquiao, I’ve already beat him. It’s in the record books. It’s history. I just feel that I did not get the credit and I am fighting for credit. This is what it is all about,” says Bradley.
And this time he wants no excuses.
Like Pacquiao, like everyone in boxing who knows their history, Bradley wants to get it right this time against an icon who is 1-1 after their last meeting.
That Pacquiao defeat was a chilling knockout in the hands of his Mexican nemesis, Juan Manuel Marquez in December 2012.
Bradley dominantly routed Marquez in their 12 round championship war last October, also in Las Vegas.
It is a win that gives him an extra boost of confidence going to this second fight with Pacquiao.
“The fact that I was in the Marquez fight, the fact that I beat Marquez, He knocked out Pacquiao and I beat him.”
But Bradley knows that his victory over Marquez cannot satisfy his clamor for respect.
He can only earn that by beating Pacquiao a second time but this time without the skepticisms and doubts in all corners of the sport.
“We have unfinished business. The fact that the first fight was controversial, the fact that I felt I won the fight and the fact that he felt won the fight, now we will decide it once and for all. Pacquiao has a lot to prove and I have a lot to prove.”
As both fighters posed for the mandatory face off for photographers to shoot, Pacquiao grabbed the championship belt that he wanted back again in his waist.
But Bradley did not let the belt escape his hands, firmly gripping it as both fighters faced the cameras.
Pacquiao promised to bring his old killer instinct back to retrieve what was once his.
Bradley knows this and he welcomes the challenge like a matador anticipating a raging bull towards his path.
“Manny Pacquiao knows he has to come to bring it to me. He wants the title back and he has to earn it back. Bring it on. I embrace the challenge.”
On April 12, one will remain standing in that bullring at The MGM Grand.
http://www.filipinoreporter.us/
The stage is set for Manny Pacquiao’s training at the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood and a fighter who nearly knocked out Tim Bradley is being lined up to serve as a sparring partner for the Filipino puncher.
Pacquiao and Bradley are squaring off for the second time on April 12 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and Pacquiao adviser Mike Koncz said Kendall Holt, who floored Bradley twice when they fought in 2009, will likely be tapped to help during training camp.
A native of New Jersey, Holt, 32, has a 28-6 win-loss card with 15 knockouts and his remarkable showing against Bradley five years ago is the reason why he is being signed up as one of Pacquiao’s sparmates. Despite the two knockdowns, Bradley won the fight on points as he dominated the 12-rounder.
Unbeaten Lydell Rhodes (19-0 with nine KOs) is also being eyed to become a part of the sparring and he is already in General Santos City to pay homage to Pacquiao.
Koncz could not say yet exactly when Team Pacquiao is heading to the US to begin the most crucial phase of the buildup but should have an idea after he gets back from Macau this weekend.
Koncz will meet up with Wild Card guru Freddie Roach, who will be working the corner of Chinese Olympic legend Zou Shiming at the CotaiArena, to finalize the timetable.
Pacquiao, 35, is a slim 2-1 favorite to exact payback against Bradley, who was awarded a 12-round split decision in their first meeting in June 2012.
Bradley, 30, stung by claims that he was the recipient of a lucky decision, has vowed to prove his detractors wrong this time.
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Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao arrived Sunday from a one-week, two-city media tour and expressed readiness to plunge into extensive preparations to win back his World Boxing Organization welterweight belt against undefeated American Timothy Bradley.
Pacquiao and Bradley, who dethroned him as the 147-pound division titlist a little more than one and a-half-years ago, meet each other anew April 12 at the MGM Grand Arena with the Filipino eying a revenge of that highly questionable loss and the now defending titleholder proving the legitimacy of his grip of the crown.
If initial plans will follow the 35-year-old winner of eight titles in as many weight divisions will start flexing his muscle today at the MP Tower Gym in Sampaloc in Manila following a three-month hiatus after beating former world lightweight champion Brandon Rios last November in Macau.
"Yun ang plano. Pagdating na pagdating, sabak agad sa ensayo para mabawasan ang taba as a result of more than a week of inactivity due to the profess tour that brought him and Bradley to Los Angeles and New York," Reli de Leon, a member of the MP Group of companies' marketing group told People's Journal yesterday.
Before flying to the U.S., Pacquiao had been making the rounds at the Acharon Sports Complex oval for a week.
"Light lang ang ensayo dito as Manny could be staying here in Manila for only two days to attend to his job as Congressman (of the lone district of Sarangani Province after which) he and his team will proceed to General Santos where he will pitch camp," De Leon said.
Source: http://philboxing.com/
It’s safe to say that Timothy Bradley, 30 years old and undefeated in 31 fights, may be at the peak of his boxing career.
It’s also safe to say that Manny Pacquiao, now 35 and 1-2 (won-lost) in his last three fights, is just trying to stretch his best years.
On April 12, they will figure in a rematch of their controversial encounter in June 2012 when Bradley came out the winner on points.
Pacquiao said he was “too nice” against Bradley in that fight, and vowed to be the same old Pacquiao, strong and relentless, for the rematch.
The Filipino superstar hasn’t scored a stoppage since 2009, against Miguel Cotto. People think it’s a sign he’s no longer as strong as he once was.
But his trainer, Freddie Roach, said it’s just that Pacquiao, now a congressman and Bible preacher, is showing too much compassion against his opponents.
Read More: http://www.philstar.com/
As he heads into his pivotal rematch with WBO welterweight titlist Timothy Bradley, Manny Pacquiao and his team seem content with how things have been playing out.
This past week, with stops in Los Angeles and New York, Pacquiao was able to come face to face with Bradley, the man who beat him by way of controversial split-decision in June of 2012.
And while the respect between both sides has been evident, there is also a very deep confidence that is easy to spot from all parties involved.
For Bradley this is his self-proclaimed shot at redemption while the 35-year old Pacquiao will look to build from the momentum of his comeback victory over Brandon Rios this past November in Macau, China.
For the Rios fight, Pacquiao spent a huge portion of his camp in his native General Santos City, Philippines.
This time around, however, trainer Freddie Roach will be looking to spend the final weeks working out of his Wild Card Boxing Club in Los Angeles, Calif.
“I’m going to arrive from China after [Zou] Shiming’s fight and we’re going to spend a couple weeks in the Philippines,” Roach stated during a recent roundtable with the press.
Roach is targeting a March 1 return to Los Angeles and is confident that being locked down from nearly six weeks will be more than enough time to hone Pacquiao’s skills.
“Plenty, yes,” said Roach.
Source: http://hustleboss.com
