As for whom Pacquiao faces in the spring, Bradley seems the logical choice. Not only is he affiliated with Top Rank (basically a prerequisite in this Cold War era of boxing) but they share a history. Their first meeting on June 9th, 2012 was supposedly the latest death blow and black eye to the sport of boxing as Bradley won a split decision, widely panned and criticized by the masses. The overwhelming majority believed Pacquiao had done more than enough to get his hand raised in victory. But a funny thing happened; this verdict did not kill boxing and since then, Bradley has rehabilitated his reputation with a slugfest versus Provodnikov and a strategic win over Juan Manuel Marquez. To many pundits and observers, he is 2013’s “Fighter of the Year.”
So this seems to be an easy choice; right? Well…
The problem is that while Bradley is a premiere prizefighter, as a B-side, he still may not bring enough to the table to satisfy what he is reportedly asking for a second go-round withPacquiao. Sources say Bradley is asking for in the neighborhood of $8 million (he received a guarantee of around $5 million for their first fight). While Bradley’s stock has risen in the aftermath of their first bout, that’s no guarantee that Bradley vs. Pacquiao II would do anywhere near what their first fight did on pay-per-view, in the neighborhood of 900,000. The reality is that pay-per-view pairings aren’t so much about the best possible fights that can be made but really, the math working out. Their first match-up did well below other Pacquiaopay-per-view events since becoming a global superstar after retiring Oscar De la Hoya in December of 2008.
So this seems to be an easy choice; right? Well…
The problem is that while Bradley is a premiere prizefighter, as a B-side, he still may not bring enough to the table to satisfy what he is reportedly asking for a second go-round withPacquiao. Sources say Bradley is asking for in the neighborhood of $8 million (he received a guarantee of around $5 million for their first fight). While Bradley’s stock has risen in the aftermath of their first bout, that’s no guarantee that Bradley vs. Pacquiao II would do anywhere near what their first fight did on pay-per-view, in the neighborhood of 900,000. The reality is that pay-per-view pairings aren’t so much about the best possible fights that can be made but really, the math working out. Their first match-up did well below other Pacquiaopay-per-view events since becoming a global superstar after retiring Oscar De la Hoya in December of 2008.
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