Timothy Bradley has 'no fear' of Manny Pacquiao

“I’m in the best shape that I could possibly be in. There’s nothing that I fear. No one that I fear. I don’t fear Manny Pacquiao... I’m ready for anybody.”

Undefeated WBO light welterweight champion Timothy Bradley has the physique of a fighter: young, ripped and muscular. Timothy Bradley has the proper frame of mind for a fighter going to war. Timothy Bradley has the talent to make it happen and battle plan to emerge victorious against any fighter out there.

But he is not fighting against any ordinary fighter. He is fighting against Manny Pacquiao, the only eight-division wold champion, a fearsome fighter that if focused and properly motivated is a human dynamo who can whip a firestorm in the blink of an eye. Manny Pacquiao is the kind of fighter who can blow you out to smithereens if he catches you with his powerful blinding fists.

Yes, Timothy Bradley is aware of his opponent’s formidable weapons in his arsenal that has smoked many great warriors before him on the wayside. But Bradley insists that he is made of a different stuff and that he and his team have devised their own mode of action to counteract whatever weapon Pacquiao can unleash at him: "I know that I've got to stay tight, I've got to stay behind a good jab and I've got to keep moving. I've got to have great defense and I've got to counterpunch the hell out of this guy with combinations.”

Timothy Bradley, being the challenger and a 4:1 betting underdog, is doing everything in his power to believe and motivate himself to counter whatever lingering doubts that are left in his mind on whether he will be able to withstand Manny Pacquiao’s fire power when the time of reckoning comes.

“I don’t even think about that. I never go into a fight thinking of somebody’s power, thinking about being hurt or thinking about ‘What if he touches me.’ I just go in there and live in the moment. If he hits me like they said ‘Casamayor. Oh watch out for his left.’ He hit me with that left and I was like ‘That’s it? ‘That’s it?’ I was like ‘Oh let me just walk this dude down. I’m going to get in there and if (Pacquiao) doesn’t hit like they say, he going to get walked down, too. I’ll be able to make my adjustments. In the first round I’ll know about his power and see if I need to get my hands tighter, keep my chin tucked. And we’ll go from there.”

“Everyone is human. I don’t see him as a god. I don’t feel threatened by his ability. Every fighter is dangerous, but every fighter is human, too. If you cut him, he’ll bleed. If you hit him right, he’ll go down. I know what the fight will come down to. It will come down to what it always comes down to. It comes down to his will vs. my will and his skill vs. my skill.”

For his part, amid all the circus surrounding the fight, Manny Pacquiao ever the gentleman can only offer an enigmatic smile, and like in his previous fights, refused to be drawn into a word war with Timothy Bradley. With a very good training camp behind him, the WBO welterweight champion exudes an aura of peace and quiet confidence. Whether this is the proverbial calm before the storm, we will find out about that tonight.

And when HBO color commentator Max Kellerman asked the Filipino fighter during the weigh-in about his game plan, Pacquiao just offered his usual stock answers and cliches: “We will see tomorrow. I’ll give you an idea tomorrow,” and ended the interview with a laugh while thanking the fans for coming to the event.

As for Timothy Bradley when asked with the same question, he responded with the conviction of a very determined and confident fighter,  “I am ready. I am ready to shock the world. I am ready to do anything that takes in there to win this fight. It’s going to be a great fight. I thank Pacquiao and his team for giving me this shot. Let’s get it on baby. It’s going to be war. I am ready. I am ready!”

He better be.

*This article was originally published in Detroit Fight Sports Examiner

*photo credit: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

The gospel according to Manny Pacquiao

Manny Pacquiao once shared a story that one night: after his life and death experience inside the ring with his nemesis Juan Manuel Marquez in November 2011, he was awakened from a nightmare in which God had talked to him about him straying away from His teachings. He promised Him that he will do everything in his power to change and lead a better life.


Manny Pacquiao now avers that he is a completely different person from his old self.

"The old has passed, the new has come."

Manny Pacquiao, as a result of that 'conversation' with God, has transformed himself into what he is now: a man who is at peace with himself and with God, which in his opinion is a turn for the better.

"It's better for me. I know if I die today where I'm going. I'm not worried about what fits in this world. I'm worried about what happens to me in my eternal life."

But we may ask ourselves, how can a man who makes a living through violence, by hurting other people inside the ring, at the same time preach about peace among his fellow men without affecting his job and the manner on which he does it?


The contradiction is obviously not lost to his critics who called his sudden transformation from a man who openly wallowed deep in sin into a Bible-quoting preacher just plain hypocrisy. The same people also quickly jumped to the conclusion that Manny Pacquiao's so-called awakening is nothing but for show. Yes, the transformation has elicited both negative and positive responses from every man on the streets, to everyone who wants to have his two cents heard on the matter.

But Manny Pacquiao's transformation will not come as a surprise to many who religiously followed the Filipino fighter's career. Despite his frailties as a human being and the trappings of being a celebrity in his chosen profession, deep inside Manny Pacquiao is a very religious person and has a huge heart for the downtrodden.

Even when it comes to his rival Floyd Mayweather, Jr.'s baseless accusations of PEDs use and constant tirades (that on many occassions border to the absurd) against him, Manny Pacquiao elected to be the better man and never uttered a single bad word against the American (although he opted to charge him for defamation but still, Pacquiao is giving Mayweather a legal forum to defend himself and a chance to prove his allegations).

And with Mayweather's latest predicament that landed him in a Las Vegas jail for domestic battery charges against the mother of his children, Pacquiao has only this to say-

"I don't judge people, I don't condemn people. I'm praying for him that everything will be fine and he will realize the truth."

Manny Pacquiao admits to having erred in his life by indulging in many sinful activities in the past, including indulging in alcohol, womanizing (which almost cost him his marriage), cockfighting (search YouTube for videos showing him betting millions of pesos on a single fight) and other forms of gambling. But now Manny Pacquiao proclaims that since following the teachings in the scriptures and giving up all his vices, he is now a happy and contented man.

"I don't like anymore gambling, drinking, girls, stuff like that, because I was reading the word of God. The sins we committed over and over, I stopped doing that. I found it in my manual for life, the Bible"

Because of Manny Pacquiao's recent pronouncements, a lot of people are wondering whether he still has the desire to fight and inflict harm on his opponents. Yes, a lot of people are now questioning whether Manny Pacquiao still has the heart and the fire to demolish his opponents the way that he used to throughout his storied career. The answer to those questions will eventually be answered on fight night, but here was the answer coming from the man himself-

"This fight?" Pacquiao referrring to his advertised battle royale against Timothy Bradley this coming Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, "this is my job. I have a job to make people happy. . . Yes, I'm happy doing this. This is what God made me to do."

So there.

Manny Pacquiao's claims of finding solace in the word of God is nothing to sneer about. The man is serious regarding his newfound calling. We can just view this as another phase, a stage of man's never-ending search for answers to his questions about Life and Faith.

So instead of casting the first stone, we should just respect his beliefs and be happy for the man as long as he does not renege on his promise to deliver his usual mayhem on fight night.

   *This article was originally published in Detroit Fight Sports Examiner 

 Photo Credit: David Becker/Getty Images

Timothy Bradley vows to beat Manny Pacquiao and shock the world

Timothy Bradley, the undefeated American WBO light welterweight champion, who will move up in weight to challenge Manny Pacquiao for the latter's welterweight belt, is 'talking the talk.' Timothy Bradley is saying all the 'right' things prior to his championship fight with the Filipino superstar this coming Saturday in Las Vegas.

In Timothy Bradley's mind, he has Manny Pacquiao all figured out. He opined that he has the answers to whatever Manny Pacquiao will bring on the table come fight night.

Oozing with self-confidence, Timothy Bradley has been on the warpath for some time now and has been employing his own blitzkrieg to anybody who cares to listen on why Manny Pacquiao cannot beat him as he proclaimed that "I'm going to wear this dude out."

Although Manny Pacquiao is known for his speed and unconventional fighting style, Bradley's team believes that Pacquiao is just a 'one-dimensional' fighter and that once Bradley is "able to adjust to his speed, and settle down" Bradley will "start picking his a** apart."

Timothy Bradley is of the belief that he can neutralize Manny Pacquiao's vaunted left straight and stated that he has no problems in handling southpaws, having fought and won over Devon Alexander and Joel Casamayor, both southpaws like the Filipino champion.

"I'm more comfortable with southpaws than ever. This is my third one in a row. I'm 10 times better than in the Casamayor fight. I've had eight different sparring partners for this event, because these guys get into the ring, and they can't hang,"

Timothy Bradley does not believe himself to be the underdog in this fight, despite the betting odds not in his favor. He believes that he is ready to 'shock the world' by taking out Manny Pacquiao in their fight. In fact, he is now so sure of victory that he proclaims during the fight's final conference that he is willing to give Manny Pacquiao a rematch and has produced an over-sized ticket with the date November 10, 2012 that he gave to his wife onstage to complete the stunt.

Such confidence in one's own ability and talent is commendable. And by saying the right words in his latest pronouncements, Timothy Bradley is a promoter's dream to stir up interests from the casual boxing fans who have no idea of his existence. By pressing the right buttons, Timothy Bradley has now transformed himself into a media darling by never running out of quotable quotes to spice up every scribe's works.

But words are nothing but empty rhetorics if one cannot back them up when the time of reckoning comes. And if Bradley wants to tame the 'animal' in Manny Pacquiao, he will have to let his hands do the talking come Saturday night. If he can do that, then we will be treated to a good fight.

*This article was originally published in Detroit Fight Sports Examiner

Building Blocks: Kung Fu Strength

video credit: YouTube/National Geographic/ I Didn't Know That: Kung Fu Strength

UFC 146: Junior dos Santos shoots down Frank Mir

In front of a wild cheering crowd at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, UFC Heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos dealt former two-time UFC heavyweight title holder a beat down to retain his belt. Frank Mir, a submission expert, failed to capitalize on his expertise against the heavy-handed Brazilian. Instead, Mir elected to play into dos Santos' gameplan and paid the price.

Frank Mir failed to take the fight to the ground, a milieu where dos Santos was untested wherein he has a greater shot of upsetting the champion. After a failed takedown attempt right at the start of the fight, he elected to trade blows with Junior dos Santos, a decision that proved costly to his cause.

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UFC 146: Junior dos Santos shoots down Frank Mir

In front of a wild cheering crowd at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, UFC Heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos dealt former two-time UFC heavyweight title holder a beat down to retain his belt. Frank Mir, a submission expert, failed to capitalize on his expertise against the heavy-handed Brazilian. Instead, Mir elected to play into dos Santos' gameplan and paid the price.

Frank Mir failed to take the fight to the ground, a milieu where dos Santos was untested wherein he has a greater shot of upsetting the champion. After a failed takedown attempt right at the start of the fight, he elected to trade blows with Junior dos Santos, a decision that proved costly to his cause.

The defending champion Junior dos Santos, an excellent stand up striker, also has a very good takedown defense and put his weapons to good use. He peppered Mir with shots coming from all angles and shot him down with a variety of punches: hooks, straights, and uppercuts that took their toll on the challenger.

The first round was all Junior dos Santos as he stood his ground, and potshot Mir with deadly accuracy. He varied his shots well and timed Mir with good counters every time the challenger would attempt to unleash his own shots. His snipings were so effective that he  would land a hard one to the body and then follow it up with a shot to the head time and time again. Then with less than 30 seconds left in the round, he clipped Mir's temple with a huge right hook that sent him sprawling to the canvas. The challenger struggled to get up and barely survived the round.

It was the same old story in the second round, even though Frank Mir tried to use his kicks this time to ward off the attacks to no avail. Junior dos Santos unleashed and landed a bomb, bringing Mir down. The champion then asked his challenger to get up and continue fighting. Mir got up and obliged but is tagged again with another bomb -- a right straight that landed on the cheekbones. This time, Mir remained on the ground for good as dos Santos swarmed over him and bludgeoned him with everything in his arsenal, including one last hammer fist landing on Mir's cheeks, before referee Herb Dean stopped the fight.

With the win, Junior dos Santos improves his record to 15-1 while Frank Mir falls to 16-6. Official time of the stoppage was 3:04.

Manny Pacquiao 'appears' on NBC's Law & Order: SVU

In last night's episode of NBC's long-running hit TV series Law & Order: SVU, the Filipino pound-for-pound king was seen along with other famous personalities in a series of photos that features a successful basketball coach, played by Dan Lauria (The Wonder Years), who uses his power and position to molest some of the young and aspiring players under his tutelage.

The episode, titled "Personal Fouls," also features NBA superstars Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks and Miami Heat's Chris Bosh making guest appearances.