On Saturday evening, HBO debuted Road to Pacquiao vs. Bradley 24/7 episode 2. The episode brought us back inside both of their camps as fight night approaches just two weeks away. Right here, you can find a complete recap of the second episode of Manny Pacquiao- Timothy Bradley 24-7.
Episode 2 of Pacquiao Bradley 24 7 begins with Timothy Bradley working out intensely at the Boys & Girls Club he calls home base. It’s been where he has trained for basically two decades. He talks about how he doesn’t need a lot of hangers-on and entourage members, just his family and his team, that’s all he needs at all times.
Bradley talks about his relationship with trainer Joel Diaz, and Diaz talks about his work ethic and desire. Diaz’s problem is that Bradley can overdo it, like when he randomly decided to run 23 miles in the week before a fight just to test himself.
Just 130 miles away and we’re with Team Pacquiao as Pacquiao-Bradley 24/7 episode 2 continues. He gets going in his ridiculous Ferrari as he’s back in Los Angeles and the Wild Card Gym, working with trainer Freddie Roach and the usual suspects. It’s fun for him to be back with his team as well, and following the routine of starting his camp in the Philippines before relocating back to LA.
—> Check out our exclusive one-on-one Timothy Bradley interview
We hear that there has been some discord in camp though between Freddie Roach and Alex Ariza. Ariza left the Philippines early to work with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. back in the States, and it led to Amir Khan firing Ariza. But Pacquiao said it was alright with him and Ariza had asked him in advance.
Back to Bradley’s camp and he’s running the desert hills, and talking about pushing through and it being like the 12th round and needing to fight your hardest. Then we see Bradley and his family relaxing and partying as he planned a special surprise anniversary party for her. He makes a speech and the two do some dancing, and he talks about how when he was younger he was a bit crazier, but when he met her everything changed.
Bradley’s wife, Monica, talks about how she was hesitant to get serious because of her two existing children and the risk of everything that went with that. Bradley had to get the approval of the kids, and even before he asked her to marry him, he asked her son what he thought about it. Now the two have Jada, their first child together, to add to the family.
We see Pacquiao doing his own running, but he’s flanked by about a dozen other people. And for him right now, it’s more about his mental strength, and his new religious beliefs and his moral revival of sorts with that. He’s confident that he’s living the right way now.
Then we see his spiritual advisor talking about how Pacquiao had felt empty before. Today, Pacquiao’s routine involves steady doses of bible study and a real commitment to his beliefs, not just talk about it. We see Pacquiao giving an impassioned speech in front of a group, before we see him in some quiet time playing the guitar and being with his friends and family. Pacquiao says “I hate the old Manny” and his team members talk about how his change has affected the entire group for the better.
Back to Bradley, and we see him waking up at the crack of dawn, not to train, but to play the role of dad. He takes his son to school and then comes home and says goodbye to the rest, gets some alone time with his new baby girl, and plans his training in the afternoon after all of that. Just three hours at the gym, some rest, an 8-mile run after that… no big deal. As he runs he shouts at passersbys who show him support, and straight to the camera, talking about how he needs to get it done, and he will get it done, and nobody can stop him.
Pacquiao vs. Bradley 24/7 episode 2 goes back to the Wild Card, where Pacquiao is hard at work in the gym. Even with his new religious strength, it doesn’t mean he’s not ready to do battle in the ring. For him, he says that’s what god has put him there to do right now.
Pacquiao is getting ready to do some more sparring, and Ruslan Provodnikov and a few others, and the three sparring partners alternate rounds and try to go at full strength. Roach says that Pacquiao thinks that people are thinking and saying that he isn’t as good anymore, and he’s washed up a little bit. That means he’s training like he has something to prove, and it’s a good thing. Roach says it’s the most focused he’s been in quite some time.
Then we hear that Ariza has been fired from Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.’s camp as well. Ariza doesn’t comment about it, but Roach says his head got too big, and he tried to take on too much, wanting to be a trainer, cut man and more besides just a strength coach. Roach sounds like he wants to cut ties with Ariza as well.
And, as always, the end of 24/7 Pacquiao Bradley morphs into montage mode. This is the good stuff. Some music in the background, some voiceover, lots of spliced in training footage of both guys working hard in the gym. And it’s over for the week.
Thanks for checking out our recap of the Road to Pacquiao vs. Bradley 24/7 episode 2. On fight night in two weeks, be sure to come back to ProBoxing-Fans.com for our live Pacquiao vs. Bradley results.
