HBO’s 24/7 Pacquiao vs. Bradley II – Episode 1:
The first episode of the HBO Sports 24/7 series for Manny Pacquiao vs. Timothy Bradley II debuted on Saturday night after the fights. While we’ve been down this road before between these two fighters, the circumstances have changed now. Right here, you can read up on what went down in Pacquiao vs. Bradley 24/7 episode 1. Take a look.
The show begins with posing the question of whether or not you can live up to the ideal of an unquestionable outcome. We relive some of the drama and controversy from the first match, as we look ahead into the present, and the future.
Pacquiao is certain his time isn’t done, and this is his ticket to prove it. For Bradley, he’s been there and done that, and he doesn’t believe Pacquiao ever has or ever will beat him. But doubt is what is in the air. So for Pacquiao and Bradley, their jobs are removing that doubt, and producing clarity.
We start Pacquiao-Bradley 24-7 episode 1 with the opening press conference between the fighters several months ago. For Pacquiao, he says it’s more proving a point. For Bradley, it’s redemption in some ways, and getting the credit he feels always should have been his.
Bradley talks about the first fight, and how he felt he belonged early on. But in the 2nd round, he hurt his foot. Apparently, he wasn’t wearing socks in his shoes, and that helped to lead to his injuries. Why he wouldn’t be wearing socks? Who in the world knows.
Jim Lampley, Pacquiao and Freddie Roach chimes in with how they feel as if Pacquiao was in cruise control. If anything, Pacquiao could have stepped on the gas harder. Pacquiao says he was nice to Bradley in the ring. He didn’t have that killer instinct. Of course, we know what happened though.
While it seemed that Pacquiao won widely via unanimous decision, Bradley won the bout. Bob Arum says he thought that Michael Buffer messed up his job and read the wrong numbers. But, the judges said that Bradley won, and it is what it is.
Pacquiao and his team were incredulous after the fight, as they should have been. Meanwhile, Bradley was just dealing with the injury to his feet and ankles. He left in a wheelchair to go to the hospital, while Pacquiao seemed fine.
Instead of a huge, life changing win, the controversy created a very dark time in Bradley’s life, and for his family. He was dealing with a huge backlash he didn’t expect and didn’t deserve, and it certainly soured the moment and changed thing.
Not only that, but Bradley was having issues finding a big bout. And Roach and Pacquiao both say, hey, everyone knows we won the fight, so why should we have a rematch? What do we have to prove?
Well, then Pacquiao had his fourth fight with Marquez. And you might have heard, but that one had an interesting ending. Marquez ends up laying him out after a back and forth affair, and Pacquiao remained on the canvas for minutes. Bradley says he hasn’t seen that kind of knockout ending in years.
For Bradley though, he says he was “happy as hell” then, because the pressure was no longer on him. Still, there was no high profile fight lined up for him. And so he fights Ruslan Provodnikov in the interim. Max Kellerman calls him a “frozen caveman boxer”. Provodnikov is simply a beast.
Bradley in no way denies the difficulties of that fight. He knows he got badly, badly hurt, from the very beginning of the fight. But he had too much to prove, and he wasn’t going to be denied. He survived the endeavor, he gutted it out, and he won. And he says he left a piece of him in the ring that night, admitting to pissing blood and really having that damage take a toll.
Next, Bradley moved onto Pacquiao’s arch-rival, Juan Manuel Marquez. Bradley says the fight was easy, and he had fun. He hadn’t had fun in the ring in a while, but he had fun against Marquez. Bradley took home a close, but fair, decision, and here he is, still undefeated, still winning.
Pacquiao ends up taking a year off from the ring, contemplating retirement at times in the interim. He had his whole training camp in General Santos City as he prepares to face Brandon Rios. Roach says he didn’t bring in killer sparring partners, to not push Pacquiao too rough in the recovery.
Of course, Pacquiao blew past Rios. The gap in skill was just so massive that Pacquiao was able to do whatever he wanted and Rios didn’t stand a chance. For Roach, he was happy to see Pacquiao fighting all three minutes of each round. And Arum says he got back to his style of getting in and out without taking punishment.
But, there was not a knockout finish to the fight, and some people feel it was there for the taking. Would the Pacquiao of 5 years ago have finished that fight?
Bradley knows that he has arrived with the win over Marquez, which can’t be disputed. But there’s been something itching at him. And it’s the Pacquiao issue. He knows he needs to go back there and settle the score in order to move on with his life.
Somehow, despite the “win”, it’s Bradley who’s the one who has something to prove. He’s the one who’s out for revenge. And so maybe he’s hungrier than ever, and Pacquiao’s past his best, and it’s Bradley’s time right now.
But Pacquiao believes that he’s done being nice in the ring. He’s ready to come at him full force.
Bradley doesn’t believe it. He thinks that Pacquiao has lost it, he no longer has the fighter’s killer instinct. When was the last time he knocked anybody out? Bradley says he’ll be there every minute, every round. It’s him or me.
And with that, Pacquiao vs. Bradley II 24/7 episode 1 comes to a close. Check back with us next time for our continued coverage of the series and the fight.
