[B]GREG BEACHAM[\/B]
\n[I]AP SPORTS WRITER[\/I]
\n[B]
\nBEVERLY HILLS, California[\/B] (AP)\u2014Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley Jr. both realize almost every boxing fan wishes Floyd Mayweather Jr. had been standing next to Pacquiao at the Beverly Hills Hotel on Tuesday. <\/p>\n
But when Pacquiao and Mayweather failed to make a deal for the fight everybody wants to see, Pacquiao moved down the list of contenders to make a fight he hopes his fans will enjoy.<\/p>\n
Pacquiao and Bradley are getting an early start on the promotional circuit for their welterweight bout June 9 at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas. Even while the Filipino congressman and his unbeaten opponent posed for photos and praised each other in the peach-colored ballroom at the historic Hollywood hideaway, Pacquiao and his camp realized Mayweather\u2019s absence looms over the proceedings.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m willing to fight Mayweather,\u201d Pacquiao said. \u201cBut I have to fight the guys who are hungry to fight me. Timothy Bradley is strong, and he can punch. He\u2019s a good boxer, so it\u2019s a challenge to fight a guy like that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pacquiao (54-3-2, 38 KOs) realizes he\u2019ll have to do plenty of promoting to get fans interested in a fight against Bradley, a 140-pound (63.5-kilogram) champion from Palm Springs, California, who has never been in a fraction of the spotlight that follows Pacquiao across the globe. Pacquiao will make sure every fan knows all about Bradley (28-0, 12 KOs), praising him as a game opponent who enjoys a good action fight as much as he does\u2014another indirect swipe at the defense-oriented Mayweather.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s nice to be fighting a fighter who is undefeated and not worried about losing that zero on his record,\u201d said Freddie Roach, Pacquiao\u2019s longtime trainer. <\/p>\n
Yet Roach repeatedly showed little interest in a bout with Bradley in recent years, citing Bradley\u2019s near anonymity and limited knockout power. Although Bradley\u2019s record makes him an eminently worthy opponent, he only pulled into prime position for the bout last year when he joined promoter Bob Arum\u2019s Top Rank alongside Pacquiao.<\/p>\n
Pacquiao and Bradley haven\u2019t exactly built up any motivation to punch each other in the face yet, either. After Pacquiao cracked up in laughter when he posed for a staredown with Bradley, the Filipino champion grabbed a camera and shot a few photos of Bradley, who struck a goofy pose.<\/p>\n
Pacquiao is \u201cprobably the best fighter in the history of boxing,\u201d said Bradley, a physical boxer best known for using his shaved head as a battering ram to get inside on his opponents. \u201cHe\u2019s a great role model, a great guy, but Manny Pacquiao has reigned for a long time, and I really feel like I\u2019m the new face of boxing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Boxing could need a new face as soon as next year. Mayweather has fought sparingly in his 30s, and Pacquiao says he\u2019ll consider retirement in November after his next two bouts.<\/p>\n
Pacquiao cites a renewed religious fervor for his interest in retirement, saying he\u2019s no longer comfortable pounding on his opponents while winning his last 15 fights. Roach said Pacquiao\u2019s last training camp \u201cfell apart\u201d in its final days because of numerous distractions including friction between Pacquiao and his wife, Jinkee, resulting in a mediocre performance in a narrow victory over Juan Manuel Marquez.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe says God doesn\u2019t want him to hurt people,\u201d Roach said. \u201cThat bothers me a little bit, but Manny has always been a compassionate person.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even while hyping his bout with Bradley, Pacquiao knows everybody will ask him about the potential of a Mayweather fight in November. Even his 11-year-old son, Emmanuel Jr., is on his dad\u2019s case.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy kids request me: \u2018Dad, I want you to retire, but before, you have to fight Mayweather and beat him,\u2019\u201d Pacquiao said with a grin.<\/p>\n
Pressed for details about the breakdown in negotiations with Mayweather, Pacquiao said he was willing to fight for a 50-50 split of all revenue from what\u2019s likely to be the richest fight in boxing history. Pacquiao recounted his phone conversation with Mayweather several weeks ago, with negotiations falling apart afterward.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was in the Philippines, and I told him, \u2018We need to make this fight happen,\u2019\u201d Pacquiao said. \u201cI said I would agree to a 50-50 (split), and he said, \u2018Oh, I\u2019ll give you a $40 million guarantee, and no pay-per-view. I\u2019ll take all the pay-per-view.\u2019 I don\u2019t accept that offer. It\u2019s kind of embarrassing to me. It\u2019s trying to take advantage of me. He doesn\u2019t want to fight.\u201d<\/p>\n
That $40 million might sound like a fortune, but a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight is expected to produce more than $150 million in pay-per-view proceeds alone. Mayweather\u2019s camp denies Mayweather made such an offer, but the verbal sniping likely won\u2019t let up next week when Mayweather begins promoting his May 5 bout against Miguel Cotto.<\/p>\n
Pacquiao is making a brief trip stateside before heading back to the Philippines. After stops in Las Vegas and Hollywood for promotional shoots, he\u2019s taking a Nike corporate jet to New York for more publicity\u2014and hopefully a meeting with Jeremy Lin before the Knicks\u2019 next game Wednesday night.<\/p>\n
\u201cJeremy Lin, I\u2019m proud as an Asian,\u201d said Pacquiao, an avid basketball fan and player. \u201cWe\u2019re very proud of him. Keep up the good work.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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