Roach expects ‘dirtiest’ Bradley ever

GENERAL SANTOS CITY, Philippines – Boxing trainer Freddie Roach said the other day he expects the “dirtiest” Timothy Bradley ever to face Manny Pacquiao in their 12-round welterweight battle at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on April 9 but no matter what the Desert Storm does in the ring, he’ll be no match for the Filipino ring icon.

“I like the number nine,” smiled Roach when asked if Pacquiao could knock out Bradley. “Manny hasn’t knocked out anybody since (Miguel) Cotto in 2009 and that was with a catchweight of 145. It hasn’t been easy taking guys out at 147 because Manny’s opponents were bigger. But against Bradley, I’ve got a good feeling Manny will score a knockout, maybe in the ninth round. He’s punching real hard, I can feel it in my mitts. There’s a lot more power in his right hand. I don’t know if Bradley will box or pressure. In their first fight, he boxed and I thought Manny deserved to win. In their second fight, he pressured and Manny won easily.”

Roach said Bradley’s new trainer Teddy Atlas is known for teaching dirty tricks like stepping on the opponent’s foot and elbowing. “You can’t credit Atlas for Bradley’s last win (over Brandon Rios),” he said. “I thought Rios was competitive in his previous fight (a third round stoppage of Mike Alvarado in January 2015) but against Bradley (last November), he didn’t look like a fighter. He was fat and Bradley did right to attack the middle. Anybody could’ve beaten Rios that night. Bradley didn’t do anything special. I don’t think Rios was motivated to fight. I heard he’s retired. Bradley’s previous trainer (Joel Diaz) is a lot more experienced (than Atlas) and he’s working with Ruslan (Provodnikov) now.”

Roach, who turns 56 on Saturday, arrived here last Feb. 14. He flew in from Los Angeles then took a connecting flight out of Manila. Pacquiao, Roach and their traveling party will leave for Los Angeles on March 15. The plan is to drive from Los Angeles to Las Vegas the Monday before the fight.

Roach said he didn’t bring his body shield because of a bad back. “I’ve got sciatica, it’s really painful,” he said. “A nerve is being pressed by my vertebrae. Doctors want to do surgery but I haven’t got time for it. The day after Manny’s fight, I go to camp with Cotto whose next bout is scheduled in June, could be against Ruslan. When we go back to L. A., I’ll put my body shield back on. Manny’s been careful not to hit me in the body when we do mitts. Once, during a fight in between rounds, I reached out for the stool and half of my body went numb because of that nerve problem. It hurts but I just try not to think about it because there’s work to be done. ”

Roach said what Pacquiao plans to do after Bradley is up to him. He said facing Floyd Mayweather in a rematch is a juicy option. “I don’t think Floyd will stay retired,” said Roach. “I heard he’s been making noise about fighting in MGM’s new arena. I don’t know against whom. But if Manny beats Bradley badly, there will be a clamor for a rematch. Fans want to see Manny fight Floyd without an injured shoulder. Will it happen? I think Floyd won’t turn down big money on the table. Even if the rematch brings in half of what the first fight did, it’ll still be huge.”

Roach said he will be joined by cutman Miguel Diaz and Buboy Fernandez in Pacquiao’s corner for the Bradley fight. He said more sparmates are lined up for Pacquiao when they hit Los Angeles. One of them is unbeaten WBC Continental Americas superlightweight champion Jose Ramirez who will take on Manuel Perez in the April 9 undercard. Ramirez, 23, saw action at the 2012 London Olympics with the US team and went up to the second round. As a pro, he has a record of 16-0, with 12 KOs. A victim was former Pacquiao sparmate David Rodela who was knocked out in one round in Fresno in 2014.

Two sparmates were brought in to work with Pacquiao here. Congo-born Canadian Ghislain Maduma and Oklahoma native Lydell (Hackman) Rhodes take turns sparring with Pacquiao. They’re both Bradley fight-alikes. “Maduma is a strong guy, can take a shot,” said Roach. “Rhodes is quick, can box and pressure like Bradley. They give Manny a good workout.” Maduma, 31, has a 17-2 record, with 11 KOs while Rhodes, 28, has a 23-1-1 mark, with 11 KOs.

Fernandez said Pacquiao wasn’t able to deck Bradley in their first two meetings but it will be different in the rubber match. “Manny’s power is back,” he said. “Bradley will feel it. This time, he’s going down.” Assistant trainer Nonoy Neri said Pacquiao is still working on his timing and footwork. “We don’t want to peak too soon,” said Neri. “Right now, Manny’s feet can’t keep up with his hands which are too fast so sometimes, he gets off-balance. His timing will come. He’ll only get stronger when he hits his peak in time for the fight.”

Roach said he’ll be in Pacquiao’s corner if and when the Filipino decides to fight at the Rio Olympics. “That’s up to Manny whether or not he goes to the Olympics if he’s invited,” he said. “He’s excited about it. It’ll be for the country. I know the Philippines hasn’t gotten an Olympic gold medal. Two silvers came from boxing. If Manny wins the gold medal, it’ll be history for the Philippines.”