SAN DIEGO, Feb 10, 2012 – Two significant fights have been put on the boxing calendar for May and June this week.
Timothy Bradley (28-0) agreed to put up his unbeaten record against Manny Pacquiao (54-3-2) on June 9 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Early Thursday evening, Bradley posted on Twitter: “It's official my manager has made my dreams come true and I have signed my contract to fight Manny Pacquiao. It's time to get to work!”
For many fans it’s a consolation prize, having held out hope that Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather would come to an agreement to fight before Mayweather serves a jail sentence starting in June.
But when Mayweather announced he would meet Miguel Cotto on May 5, the door was opened for the Californian. Although the specifics of the deal aren’t public, Bradley will score his biggest payday yet, estimated at $5 million for the meeting with Manny at 147-pounds.
Bradley defeated Joel Casamayor with an eighth round TKO in November as the undercard fight to Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Marquez II. Pacquiao had his poorest performance in years against Marquez, barely pulling out a decision and leaving many fans believing Marquez actually won the fight.
Bradley believes Pacquiao is vulnerable, promising to take it to him. "I'm younger, stronger and faster than Marquez,” said Bradley. “This will be no walk in the park for Manny Pacquiao.” Bradley is 28; Marquez is 38. Pacquiao is 33.
Manny Pacquiao barely notched a victory against Juan Manuel Marquez in November 2011.
Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach said he is currently busy working in his role as an elected Congressman in the Philippines, but that he is excited and gets interested in boxing again when he has an opponent and a fight.
These two are both offensive fighters that will come after each other. No, it’s not Mayweather vs. Pacquiao, but the fans should get their money’s worth. The fight will be a pay-per-view event for HBO.
Before the results were even announced, fans were talking about a rematch between Britain’s Amir Khan (26-2) and Washington D.C.’s hometown hero Lamont Peterson (30-1-1), who notched the narrowest of decisions over Khan in front of a thrilled crowd on December 10.
Lamont Peterson took it to the body in his surprise victory over Amir Khan in December 2011. Can he do it again in May? AP/Nick Mass.
After the bout, Peterson said he’d happily give Khan a rematch. “I would definitely give him the chance of a rematch. I’m pretty sure everyone enjoyed it, I wouldn’t mind doing it again,” said Peterson.
Peterson, Khan and the fans have their wish. The pair agreed to a fight at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas on May 19. Peterson initially played coy with Khan, but in the end the pair agreed to fight on the neutral turf in Nevada live on HBO for a 50-50 split of the worldwide revenues. Khan lost his World Boxing Association and International Boxing Federation light-welterweight titles to Peterson in a close and controversial bout.
Khan and his trainer Freddie Roach expressed their displeasure with the decision, with Khan saying “It was like I was against two people in there, Lamont and the ref himself… No wonder there hasn’t been boxing in D.C. for 20 years, this is what happens.” Although Khan appealed the decision, he later dropped it.
Khan was planning to go up one weight class but decided to stay at 140-pounds for this rematch with Peterson before moving on. It’s a great move all around. These two warriors deserve another shot at each other, in a neutral venue and the star billing they deserve, not a throwaway date during the holidays.
The Khan-Peterson rematch is sure to provide fight fans with plenty of buildup and entertainment.
In an interview with Sky Sport News in England, Khan said today that he wants to prove he won his fight with Peterson the first time if he hadn’t been docked two points for pushing which he felt was unfair. Khan also admitted in the interview that he made some mistakes in the first fight, but won’t repeat them on May 19.
“Freddie Roach (Khan’s trainer) will have me back in camp and working on my mistakes,” said Khan. “I may be working inside the pocket a little more… Hitting the angles is what we’ll do more.” Khan said he will come to Los Angeles and train with Roach at the Wild Card Gym for six weeks prior to the bout, starting March 24.
Peterson is likely to repeat his successful tactic of staying close to Khan, working him from the inside and working the body well. He can’t match Khan’s speed and he shouldn’t even try. If the second fight is anything like the first, it will present contrasting styles and good entertainment.
Khan says following this bout, he’ll move up to the 147-pound weight class, where a tantalizing array of potential opponents awaits him. When asked by Sky Sports whether he’d fight his Wild Card Gym sparring partner Manny Pacquaio, Khan said he has stopped sparring with Pacquiao. While he didn’t answer directly, he said, “I’ll fight anyone, whoever they put in front of me.” It’s one of the reasons Khan has been such a fan favorite. But he’s got to get by Peterson first, and it’s not a given by any means.
See the Sky Sport News interview with Amir Khan
Gayle Lynn Falkenthal, APR, is President/Owner of the Falcon Valley Group in San Diego, California. She is also a serious boxing fan covering the Sweet Science for Communities. Read more Ringside Seat in the Communities at The Washington Times. Follow Gayle on Facebook and on Twitter @PRProSanDiego.
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