Toronto – Fight Network, the world’s premier 24/7 television channel dedicated to complete coverage of combat sports, is getting geared up for the highly anticipated HBO PPV rematch between Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley with extensive fight week coverage, including the live pre-fight press conference, weigh-ins and undercard.

The coverage gets underway on Wednesday, April 9, at 4 p.m. ET with the final press conference.

Then, on Friday, April 11, at 6 p.m. ET, Fight Network presents live coverage of the official weigh-ins from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, the site of Saturday’s rematch, with Pacquiao and Bradley expected to tip the scales at 6:15 p.m. ET.

Finally, on Saturday, April 12, at 7 p.m. ET, Fight Network presents the live undercard pre-show with final previews, analysis and preliminary fights ahead of the championship rematch.

Saturday’s live Fight Network quadrupleheader will begin with a live broadcast of GLORY 15 Istanbul at 2:30 p.m. ET. Immediately following the conclusion of the HBO PPV undercard pre-show, Fight Network presents tape-delay broadcasts of Cage Warriors 67 at 9 p.m. ET, followed by K-1: Battle for Spain at 11 p.m. ET.

Additionally, Fight News Now Extra will feature exclusive one-on-one satellite interviews with Saturday’s marquee competitors.

Fight Network’s live Pacquiao vs. Bradley 2 fight week coverage will air nationwide in Canada, as well as internationally as part of Fight Network’s expansion on ZON in Portugal, Telenet in Belgium, D-Smart in Turkey, ZAP in Angola and Mozambique, and OSN across the Middle East and North Africa.

For a full listing of Fight Network’s broadcast schedule, please visit tv.fightnetwork.com and follow on Twitter @fightnet, become a fan on Facebook and visit us on Instagram @fightnet.

LONDON (April 8) – Manny Pacquiao has insisted his killer instinct is still alive and well despite Tim Bradley questioning the motivation of the Filipino superstar.

The pair clash this weekend, live and exclusive on BoxNation, in a world title showdown at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, looking to settle an old score following Bradley’s controversial points victory back in 2012.

Much was made of the judges’ scorecards during that first encounter, with the undefeated Bradley winning a split decision, to the bewilderment of many onlookers.

Since then, however, both men went their separate paths with Pacquiao’s desire for the fight game in recent times being called into question by some, including Bradley, something which the Philippines Congressman has hit back at.

“My motivation is the same now as it was when I started my boxing career,” said Pacquiao. “I love the competition and I love to win. When that stops, so does my professional boxing career. But I don’t see that happening for a long time.

“Because I am facing Tim Bradley again I am extra motivated for this fight. I may not have won the decision the first time we fought but I know I did not lose that fight. I want the world title he won from me back around my waist. I want to prove I am the better fighter,” he said.

Pacquiao is aware of the significance of this fight, having bounced back in style from his sensational knockout loss to Mexican great Juan Manuel Marquez by overcoming Brandon Rios late last year.

“Freddie Roach [trainer] and Justin Fortune [conditioner] are asking more from me in this training camp than I have ever given before and as hard as that is to do, I am giving them everything they have asked of me,” he said.

“Too much is at stake for me and for my country. I want to end my career on a winning streak and against the best fighters. No one has ever defeated Tim Bradley during his professional career. I want to be the first name in his loss column. It will not be easy. Nothing at the world championship level is easy,” Pacquiao insisted.

“I still have the hunger and the desire to win and I appreciate Tim Bradley giving me this rematch to prove it. Unfortunately for him, on April 12, I will not be able to repay him that favour with kindness,” he added.

The eight-division world champion, who for the past decade has been regarded as one of the very best pound-for-pound in the world, also says he has learnt from his shock loss to Marquez.

Having not knocked anyone out since Miguel Cotto in 2009, question marks have been raised in regards to his punching prowess of late, something which he was too eager to show against the skilled Mexican.

“The one thing I learned from my fight against Marquez was patience. When I had him teetering I became reckless and went in to finish him. I was careless and he landed the perfect punch. That was learning a lesson the hard way. But I learned it,” Pacquiao said.

“I still have the killer instinct. I am not afraid to use my power and go for the knockout. But I will remember the lesson I learned from my last fight with Marquez. Knockouts need to come naturally, you should not force them. But Freddie [Roach] likes knockouts and I like to make Freddie happy,” he said.

‘Pacman’ also shot a note of warning to Bradley, believing that it will be the Pacquiao who blitzed his way past all-comers that he will share the ring with this Saturday night.

“I have all the respect for Bradley and what he has accomplished but I have no fear of him. He has inspired me to exceed my previous performances inside the ring. If Bradley wants to meet the fighter who stopped Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Erik Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera, he’s going to get his wish on Saturday,” said Pacquiao.

Tonight from 7pm BoxNation will air episode two of 24/7: Pacquiao vs. Bradley free-to-air for all Sky TV viewers, with episode three to be shown this Friday at 7pm.

Pacquiao vs. Bradley 2 is live on BoxNation (Sky 437/490HD & Virgin 546) this Sunday at 2am. Visit www.boxnation.com to subscribe.
f

-Ends-

About BoxNation
BoxNation, the Channel of Champions and proud partner of Rainham Steel, is the UK’s first dedicated subscription boxing channel. For £12* a month and no minimum term customers can enjoy great value live and exclusive fights, classic fight footage, magazine shows and interviews with current and former fighters.

BoxNation is proud to support Fight for Peace, a charity that uses boxing and martial arts combined with education and personal development to realise the potential of young people in communities that suffer from crime and violence. Buy LUTA (www.luta.co.uk) clothing and support Fight for Peace.

Previous highlights have included Haye vs Chisora, Khan vs Diaz and Mayweather vs Alvarez.

The channel is available on Sky (Ch.437), Virgin (Ch.546), online at Livesport.tv and via iPhone, iPad or Android. BoxNation is also available in high definition on Sky (Ch. 490), at no extra cost to Sky TV subscribers, providing they are already HD enabled.

BoxNation is also available to commercial premises (inc. pubs, clubs and casino’s) in the UK and Ireland, for more information on a commercial subscription please call 0844 842 7700.

For more information visit www.boxnation.com

*Plus £8 one off registration fee for Sky TV and new Livesport.tv customers.

April 8, 2014 –- Boxing fans can get a ringside seat for one of the sport’s most dramatic pre-fight activities when HBO telecasts “WEIGH-IN LIVE: PACQUIAO/BRADLEY 2,” the world championship fight weigh-in, featuring welterweight rivals Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley Jr. The 30-minute special airs Friday, April 11 at 6:00 p.m. (ET/PT) on HBO.

Hosted by Jim Lampley, the fast-moving program will include the moment when both prizefighters tip the scales as well as providing boxing fans with unprecedented access to the festivities in Las Vegas prior to the highly anticipated rematch. Live interviews with special guests will be part of the half-hour presentation. All the action takes place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Immediately following “WEIGH-IN LIVE” will be an encore replay of the HBO special “Face Off With Max Kellerman: Pacquiao/Bradley 2” at 6:30 p.m. (ET/PT). HBO will then replay all three shows of “24/7 Pacquiao-Bradley 2,” starting at 7:00 p.m. (ET/PT). An encore presentation of WEIGH-IN LIVE will air at 8:30 p.m. (ET/PT).

“Pacquiao vs. Bradley 2” will be distributed on HBO Pay-Per-View on Saturday, April 12 at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT, live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

The official fight headquarters for boxing fans all week long is insidehboboxing.com where fans can log on for exclusives features from fight week in Las Vegas.

Follow HBO Boxing news at www.hbo.com/boxing; on Facebook at www.facebook.com/hboboxing; and on Twitter @hboboxing.

Photo by Chris Farina . Top Rank

LAS VEGAS, NEV. (April 7, 2014) — Fighter of the Decade MANNY “Pacman” PACQUIAO, who returns to a U.S. ring for the first time since 2012, will kick off Fight Week with his Grand Arrival Tomorrow! Tuesday, April 8, inside the main lobby of the MGM Grand. Pacquiao, his Hall of Fame Trainer Freddie Roach and the rest of his team, will arrive at 1:30 P.M. PT in a bus custom-designed with Pacquiao’s image. Fans are invited to attend and give boxing’s only eight-division world champion a boisterous welcome as he attempts to regain the World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title from the undefeated defending champion TIMOTHY “Desert Storm” BRADLEY.

Pacquiao, Roach and Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum will be available for interviews.

Pacquiao (55-5-2, 38 KOs), the lone congressional representative of the Sarangani province in the Philippines, breaks camp in Hollywood today where he has been in deep training for the eagerly-anticipated WBO welterweight championship rematch against the two-division world champion Bradley (31-0, 12 KOs), of Palm Springs, Calif. This will also be the first time Pacquiao has ever challenged to regain a world title he formerly held.

Promoted by Top Rank®, in association with MP Promotions and Tecate, Pacquiao vs. Bradley 2 will take place, Saturday, April 12 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev. It will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.

When Pacquiao and Bradley rumbled the first time, on June 9, 2012 at MGM Grand, Bradley’s hand was raised via a controversial split decision, ending Pacquiao’s welterweight title reign as well as his seven-year, 15-bout winning streak. Though both fighters claimed victory neither was satisfied. Destiny may have played a hand in their first battle but it will be survival of the fittest that determines the winner of this exciting rematch.

Remaining tickets for Pacquiao vs. Bradley 2 are priced at $1,000, $800, $600, $400, $250 and $150, not including applicable service charges. There will be a total ticket limit of 12 per person with a limit of 10 per person at the $1,000, $800, $600, $400 and $250 price levels and a limit of two (2) per person at the $150 price level. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets will also be available for purchase at www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

Pacquiao vs. Bradley 2 will also be available via closed circuit in the Marquee Ballroom at MGM Grand. Tickets are priced at $50, not including applicable service charges. All seats will be general admission and will be available at the box office and via all area Ticketmaster outlets or online at www.ticketmaster.com.

Episode No. 3 of 24/7 Pacquiao/Bradley 2 premieres This Thursday! April 10 at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT two nights before the high stakes welterweight title bout.

For fight updates go to www.toprank.com, or www.hbo.com/boxing, on Facebook at facebook.com/trboxing, facebook.com/trboxeo, or facebook.com/hboboxing, and on Twitter at twitter.com/trboxing, twitter.com/trboxeo, or twitter.com/hboboxing. Use the Hashtag #PacBradley to join the conversation on Twitter.

SALEM, N.H. (April 7, 2014) – Rockingham Park will be a closed circuit site this Saturday night for the Manny Pacquiao vs.Timothy Bradley pay-per-view fight airing live from Las Vegas. Admission is only $20.00 and tickets are on sale at Rockingham Park’s box office.

The Rock will also host live World Series of Boxing action, featuring the USA Knockouts vs. Cuba Domadores, earlier that same evening.

For more information about the Pacquiao-Bradley PPV and/or the World Series of Boxing event at Rockingham Park, please call 603.898.2311 or visit www.rockinghampark.com.

By Bart Barry–

Saturday at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, not Macao, undefeated American welterweight Timothy Bradley will make a rematch of his 2012 fight with Filipino Manny Pacquiao, one sure to provide scoring quandaries, and what bad-faith and acrimony our beloved sport attaches to such. A shame, that, since Bradley and Pacquiao are generally good-faith guys.

Whatever his faith, Bradley, a former champion at 140 pounds, has yet to fight his best at welterweight. He made the best match seen in quite a long time at welterweight about 13 months ago, against the ruinous “Siberian Rocky” Ruslan Provodnikov, a grotesquerie of volition from which Bradley is unlikely ever to recover fully, followed by a busier-is-better decision victory over Mexican master Juan Manuel Marquez in October. Not yet has Bradley shown anything like the identity-snatching form he employed against Joel Casamayor, Lamont Peterson, Nate Campbell, Kendall Holt or Junior Witter – the British junior welterweight titlist Bradley dropped and decisioned in Nottinghamshire in 2008, launching “Desert Storm’s” unanticipated championship reign.

With few exceptions, every man at the elite level of sport is an overachiever – certainly Pacquiao and Marquez are – but Bradley appears to have done more with his talents than nearly anyone has. What is his signature fighting style? The man who at 140 pounds flashed righthand leads to corral opponents towards the ropes, and then, in a nod to Joe Frazier, another undersized overachiever, smoked where those men lived, has done nothing of the sort in his move to welterweight, a move whose stylistic understatement was anticipated by a lackluster 2010 welterweight debut against Argentine Luis Carlos Abregu. Bradley’s identity at welterweight is that he finds a way to win, but if you took even a Bradley partisan and told him to teach a youngster the Bradley Style, he’d lack the clarity of objective a request for the Pacquiao Style or Marquez Style would surely summon.

Bradley does not naturally place his head in an auspicious place for avoiding other men’s punches; with no opponent was this more obvious than Provodnikov, a puncher who, for all his primitive merits, consistently placed his head out of the sights of Bradley’s gloves while throwing much better leveraged punches. Bradley was, that evening, the better athlete, and a miracle of conditioning and resolve too, but he was not the better fighter – not even close. He was not the better fighter, either, against Marquez in October, though little shame might be extracted of that.

Ringside for both, I saw Marquez decision Bradley, 116-114, similarly to the way I saw Bradley decision Pacquiao, 116-115. We return to the scene of the robbery, then. I was one of three credentialed media ringside for Bradley-Pacquiao who scored the match the way the official judges did. I was uncertain of my scorecard as the judges’ collective verdict was; I marked five rounds as either/or affairs, and the judges were unanimous about fewer than half the rounds. My scorecard was, as ever, fallible, and it is important to impart, once more, the reason: A writer honored with a ringside credential should honor that honor by scoring truthfully, not “correctly” – seeking to record what he senses, not what he predicts others will sense.

It was and remains memorable to me how little import persons assigned my immediate admission of fallibility; saying my scorecard was a truthful if imperfect representation of what I saw from row H was wholly inadequate, since anything but capitulation was intolerable to those who knew what they saw on television; somehow, to a surprisingly large but unsurprisingly unseemly mass, unless I joined the other 100 guys in the Pacquiao column, the browbeating shouldn’t cease. Among other mildly amusing pastimes, the experience of others’ reactions to my Bradley-Pacquiao scorecard launched me on a hobbyist’s investigation of the science of optics, one that quickly led away from high-definition television and towards camera obscuras, camera lucidas and fiber optics though not before uncovering this: A boxing broadcast’s most powerful filter is not its audio commentary or unofficial scorecard but what 30-second replays it shows between rounds.

Less than a 10th of the round is repeated for a viewing audience programmed by the medium to believe whatever is repeated is what is priority. The punch you thought you saw the other guy land at the 47-second mark of the round apparently wasn’t essential as the punch landed by the A-side guy in the final 19 seconds, else why isn’t it being repeated? And the antidote to an awareness of such influence is no antidote at all: Assuming nefarious intent and scoring against it makes a tally no more objective than otherwise.

Saturday’s match will likely be another hard-scoring affair. The erosion of Pacquiao’s reflexes continues apace, yes, but Bradley’s recent stylistic conversion, and his newfound expectation that he’ll receive the benefit of every scoring doubt, at least from official judges, tend to diminish Bradley’s activity at the exact moment it should increase, and this is bound eventually to be a problem for him – and quite possibly a problem, come Saturday, when official judges look to score close rounds for Pacquiao because, well, who wants to be part of another investigation?

Wait a tick, way back at the beginning of that ran-on monstrosity, didn’t you mention an erosion in Pacquiao’s reflexes, which would seem to indicate you missed Mastery in Macao when Pacquiao proved to himself and trainer of the year Freddie Roach he was all the way back? For a championship-caliber prizefighter, finding Brandon Rios with a combination rates in difficulty between a heavybag and the red-brick façade of what boxing gym houses it; nothing Pacquiao did in Macao indicated he was better than the man decisioned by Bradley 22 months ago in Las Vegas – and no matter what one opines of that decision, he must concede this: Pacquiao was outhustled and outhit in the 12th round by a man who was immobile enough to require wheelchair assistance a half hour later. And since then, Pacquiao was the B-side of what HBO analyst Max Kellerman, in a nod to his medium’s penchant for understatement, called “arguably the greatest one-punch knockout in the history of boxing!” And yet.

I’ll take Pacquiao, MD-12, in a fight Bradley wins, and judge Glenn Trowbridge nevertheless scores 119-109 for the Filipino.

Bart Barry can be reached at bart.barrys.email (at) gmail.com

Starting Monday, April 7, ESPN will provide extensive coverage surrounding the April 12, 12-round WBO Welterweight title fight rematch between Fighter of the Decade Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao (55-5-2, 38 KOs), and reigning undefeated titleholder Timothy “Desert Storm” Bradley Jr. (31-0, 12 KOs). Coverage will be provided across ESPN platforms, including daily reports on SportsCenter and ESPN Deportes.

The fight – from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, April 12 – will be produced and distributed live by HBO-Pay-Per-View beginning at 9 p.m. ET. As part of ESPN and HBO Sports’ boxing programming and marketing agreement, ESPN will have access to key content, including post-fight, in-ring interviews, press conference and weigh-in coverage, HBO’s behind-the-scenes reality series 24/7 Pacquiao/Bradley 2, classic Pacquiao/Bradley fights and Pacquiao vs. Bradley 2 non-televised undercard fights.

Television

· SportsCenter:

o Boxing experts Teddy Atlas, Dan Rafael, ESPN Friday Night Fights studio host Todd Grisham and bilingual reporter Bernardo Osuna will be in Las Vegas providing pre-and post-fight analysis and interviews throughout the week.

o Live coverage of Friday’s weigh-in during the 6 p.m. hour.

· ESPN Deportes’ Semana de Campeones (Week of Champions):

o A Los Golpes: commentators Osuna, Julio César Chávez, Sr., and David Faitelson will provide in-depth analysis and discussion of the fight. (Monday, April 7, 6 p.m.).

o Golpe a Golpe: Jorge Eduardo Sánchez, Juan Manuel Márquez, Delvin Rodríguez, Joe Cortez, Claudia Trejos, Osuna, Chávez, and Faitelson will provide the latest news and analysis in a special pre-fight show from Las Vegas (Saturday, April 12, 8 p.m.). Following the fights, ESPN Deportes will air a special post-fight show (Sunday, April 13, 2 a.m.).

o ESPN Deportes news and information platforms will have coverage of Wednesday’s press conference and Friday’s weigh-in.

o SportsCenter, Capitanes, Radio Fórmula, Cronómetro, and Nación ESPN will have daily segments previewing the fight.

· ESPN Friday Night Fights & Noche de Combates (ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, WatchESPN): The April 11 edition of ESPN Friday Night Fights presented by Corona Extra and ESPN Deportes’ Noche de Combates presentado por Corona Extra, will feature two-time Middleweight world title challenger Giovanni Lorenzo (33-6, 25 KOs) and undefeated Gilberto Ramírez (27-0, 21 KOs) in the 10-round Super Middleweight main event. Friday’s show, from the Mandalay Bay Casino in Las Vegas, will air live at 10 p.m. on ESPN2 and 10:30 p.m. on ESPN Deportes. Both shows will also be available on computers, smartphones, tablets, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, and Roku via WatchESPN.

Grisham, filling in for Joe Tessitore, will be ringside with Atlas describing the action for ESPN2. Rodríguez and Pablo Viruega will call the fights ringside for Noche de Combates (Fight Night) on ESPN Deportes, while Leopoldo González and Trejos will anchor the studio from Las Vegas. Osuna will present live interviews and reports for both shows. Both shows will preview Pacquiao vs. Bradley 2 and will include interviews with both fighters.

Classic Pacquiao and Bradley fights (ESPN Deportes): ESPN Deportes will reair Pacquiao vs. Bradley I (Saturday, April 12, 5:50 p.m.) and Bradley vs. Ruslan Provodnikov (Saturday, April 12, 6:55 p.m.). In 2012, Bradley defeated Pacquiao in their first fight, scoring a controversial 12-round split- decision, giving him the Welterweight title. In 2013, Bradley retained his title, scoring a 12-round unanimous decision win over Ruslan Provodnikov in the Boxing Writers Association of America’s (BWAA’s)/ESPN.com’s fight of the year.
Digital

· ESPN3:

o ESPN3 will carry Wednesday’s press conference (4 p.m.) and Friday’s weigh-in (6 p.m.) live online at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app and on televisions through ESPN on Xbox LIVE to Gold members, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, and Roku to fans who receive their Internet or video subscription from an affiliated provider. ESPN3 will also carry Pacquaio vs. Bradley 2 non-televised undercard fights Saturday (7 p.m.).

· ESPN.com:

o Comprehensive coverage including pre- and post-fight features and blogs from Rafael, Osuna, Eric Raskin, Bernardo Pilatti, Brian Campbell and Nigel Collins.

o “Fight Credential,” ESPN.com’s home page for all Pacquiao vs. Bradley 2 coverage, updated with features, video, photos and social media from all platforms throughout the week and through the fight.

24/7 Pacquiao/Bradley 2: HBO’s Emmy-Award-winning all-access reality series follows both fighters as they prepare for their Welterweight showdown.
o Rafael and ESPN SportsNation host and HBO boxing analyst Max Kellerman preview Pacquiao vs. Bradley 2 in a special feature.

o HBO’s Face Off with Max Kellerman: Pacquiao/Bradley 2. Both fighters square off debate-style with Kellerman serving as moderator.

o “Hot Botton”: Rafael and Campbell make their case for both fighters.

o Video previews and breakdowns from Making the Rounds, ESPN.com’s original boxing show.

o ESPN3 live streams of Wednesday’s press conference, Friday’s weigh-in, and Saturday’s non-televised undercard fights.

o Classic fights: Pacquiao vs. Bradley I in its entirety.

o “In Their Own Words” blogs from Pacquiao and Bradley.

Schedule of Pacquiao vs. Bradley 2 Coverage across ESPN Platforms:
Date

Time (ET)

Coverage

Platform

Mon, Apr 7

6 p.m.

A Los Golpes

ESPN Deportes, WatchESPN

Wed, Apr 9

4 p.m.

Pacquiao vs. Bradley 2 Press Conference Live

ESPN3, ESPN.com

Fri, Apr 11

6 p.m.

Pacquiao vs. Bradley 2 Weigh-in Live

SportsCenter, ESPN3, ESPN.com

10 p.m.

ESPN Friday Night Fights presented by Corona Extra

ESPN2, WatchESPN

10:30 p.m.

Noche de Combates presentado por Corona Extra

ESPN Deportes, WatchESPN

Sat, Apr 12

4 p.m.

Golpe a Golpe (weigh-in)**

ESPN Deportes, WatchESPN

5:50 p.m.

Boxeo Clásico: Pacquiao vs. Bradley I
ESPN Deportes, WatchESPN

6:55 p.m.

Boxeo Clásico: Bradley vs. Provodnikov
ESPN Deportes, WatchESPN

7 p.m.

Pacquiao vs. Bradley non-televised undercard bouts
ESPN3, ESPN.com

8 p.m.

Golpe a Golpe (Pre-Fight)
ESPN Deportes, WatchESPN

2 a.m.

Golpe a Golpe (Post-Fight)
ESPN Deportes, WatchESPN

Debut: SATURDAY, APRIL 5 (11:30 p.m.-midnight ET/PT)

Other HBO playdates: April 6 (10:30 a.m.), 7 (8:30 p.m., 3:00 a.m.), 9 (11:30 a.m., 6:30 p.m.) 11 (7:30 p.m.) and 12 (9:00 a.m.)

HBO2 playdates: April 6 (12:30 a.m.), 9 (9:30 p.m.), 11 (1:15 a.m.) and 12 (3:00 p.m.)

HBO On Demand and HBO GO availability begins: April 8

Camps heat up with one week to go as Manny Pacquiao (55-5-2, 38 KOs) and Timothy Bradley Jr. (31-0, 12 KOs) intensify preparations before heading to Las Vegas for their title showdown.

The final edition of 24/7 PACQUIAO/BRADLEY 2 debuts THURSDAY, APRIL 10 (8:30-9:00 p.m.), two nights before the championship bout.

“Pacquiao vs. Bradley 2” takes place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, April 12 at 9:00 p.m. (ET)/6:00 p.m. (PT), and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View®.

After the controversy of their 1st bout, a very important piece of business was taken care of as the official were named for the April 12 rematch between Timothy Bradley and Manny Pacquiao according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

The commission appointed veteran judges Glenn Trowbridge of Nevada, Michael Pernick of Florida and John Keane from Great Britain to score the fight. Kenny Bayless, regarded by many as the best referee in the world, was appointed as the third man in the ring.

“What the commission did was give us a whole list of officials that were being considered — judges and referees — and then we circulated it to both camps and we said knock out anybody that you feel may not be suitable,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum, who promotes both fighters. “Then we had a phone call with (commission chairman Francisco Aguilar and commissioner Bill Brady last week) and said, ‘Here are the officials that both sides have no objection to,’ and out of that they selected three judges and the referee.”

Arum said the list he was initially given included eight or nine judges and five referees.

“Neither camp can complain about the officials selected because these are judges approved by both camps and same with the referee,” Arum said. “I really commend the commission for taking the steps that they did and with all the transparency in this. It’s the fighters who are most affected by this decision and now neither fighter can say anything whatever happens.”

The Nevada commission typically appoints at least two Nevada judges to major fights and also often brings in one out-of-state judge. For this fight, Arum said the commission went along with his request to bring in two judges from outside of Nevada.

“We requested that because there are so many good judges around the world why limit yourself to just Nevada,” Arum said.

Officials were also selected for the other fights on the HBO PPV card.

• Vic Drakulich will referee the regional lightweight title bout between Mexico’s Raymundo Beltran (28-6-1, 17 KOs) and two-time junior lightweight titlist Roman Martinez of Puerto Rico. It’s a particularly significant fight for Beltran, who is the No. 1 contender for the lightweight world title held by Terrence Crawford and could get a title shot with a victory.

The judges assigned to the bout are Burt Clements and Dave Moretti of Nevada and Craig Metcalfe of Canada.

• Tony Weeks was selected to referee the fight between junior welterweight titlist Khabib Allakhverdiev (19-0, 9 KOs) of Russia, who is making his second defense, and challenger Jessie Vargas (23-0, 9 KOs) of Las Vegas. The judges for the fight will be Robert Hoyle and Jerry Roth or Nevada and Glenn Feldman of Connecticut.

• Robert Byrd was appointed to referee the fight between interim junior lightweight titlist Bryan Vasquez (32-1, 17 KOs) of Costa Rica and Jose Felix (26-0-1, 12 KOs) of Mexico. The judges will be Dick Houck and Patricia Morse Jarman of Nevada and Levi Martinez of New Mexico.

HOLLYWOOD, CALIF. (March 28, 2014) – Pound for pound electoral champions, Fighter of the Decade CONGRESSMAN MANNY “Pacman” PACQUIAO and PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON, will bring the political party to Jimmy Kimmel Live! Next Wednesday, April 2, on ABC, beginning at 11:35 P.M. ET / 10:35 P.M. CT. This will mark the eighth time Pacquiao has appeared on Kimmel’s popular late-night talk show — more than any other active fighter — in their series of entertaining appearances together dating back to November 3, 2009 (the week before Pacquiao vs. Miguel Cotto). It was on that night that Pacquiao unveiled his singing chops, belting out a rendition of the Dan Hill-penned hit ballad “Sometimes When We Touch.” Subsequent appearances featured Pacquiao singing duets with Kimmel and Will Ferrell, and an uproarious send-up of HBO Sports’ “24/7” reality franchise, starring Pacquiao and Kimmel sidekick Guillermo.

That 2009 appearance also marked Manny’s U.S. network TV debut, which has since led to a multitude of network television, radio and magazine features for boxing’s only eight-division world champion, including, CBS’ 60 Minutes, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN’s Piers Morgan Tonight, ABC’s Nightline, FOX News Channel’s On The Record With Greta Van Susteren, CNN’s America Morning, NPR’s Morning Edition and Weekend Edition, Playboy, Sports Illustrated and cover stories in TIME and Newsweek.

Pacquiao (55-5-2, 38 KOs), the lone congressional representative of the Sarangani province in the Philippines, is in deep training for the eagerly-anticipated WBO welterweight championship rematch against undefeated two-division world champion TIMOTHY “Desert Storm” BRADLEY (31-0, 12 KOs), of Palm Springs, Calif. This will also be Pacquiao’s first fight in the U.S. since 2012 as well as the first time he has ever challenged to regain a world title he formerly held.

Promoted by Top Rank®, in association with MP Promotions and Tecate, Pacquiao vs. Bradley 2 will take place, Saturday, April 12 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev. It will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.

When Pacquiao and Bradley rumbled the first time, on June 9, 2012 at MGM Grand, Bradley’s hand was raised via a controversial split decision, ending Pacquiao’s welterweight title reign as well as his seven-year, 15-bout winning streak. Though both fighters claimed victory neither was satisfied. Destiny may have played a hand in their first battle but it will be survival of the fittest that determines the winner of this exciting rematch.

Remaining tickets for Pacquiao vs. Bradley 2 are priced at $1,000, $800, $600, $400, $250 and $150, not including applicable service charges. There will be a total ticket limit of 12 per person with a limit of 10 per person at the $1,000, $800, $600, $400 and $250 price levels and a limit of two (2) per person at the $150 price level. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets will also be available for purchase at www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

24/7 Pacquiao/Bradley 2 premieres Tomorrow! Saturday, March 29, at Midnight ET/PT — on HBO. Show 2 debuts Saturday, April 5 at 11:30 p.m. ET/PT and show 3 debuts Thursday, April 10 at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT two nights before the high stakes welterweight title bout.

For fight updates go to www.toprank.com, or www.hbo.com/boxing, on Facebook at facebook.com/trboxing, facebook.com/trboxeo, or facebook.com/hboboxing, and on Twitter at twitter.com/trboxing, twitter.com/trboxeo, or twitter.com/hboboxing. Use the Hashtag #PacBradley to join the conversation on Twitter.

HBO Sports’ groundbreaking “24/7” reality franchise looks at the upcoming world welterweight championship rematch between Manny Pacquiao and unbeaten titleholder Timothy Bradley Jr. with 24/7 PACQUIAO/BRADLEY 2, debuting tonight (midnight-12:30 a.m. ET/PT), immediately after the “HBO Boxing After Dark” doubleheader that begins at 10:00 p.m. Spanning three weeks, the three unique programs offer inside access to the two elite fighters and their camps as they prepare for their high-stakes welterweight title showdown April 12 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Other HBO playdates: March 30 (noon) and 31 (10:30 a.m.), and April 1 (8:30 p.m.), 2 (4:30 p.m.), 4 (3:05 a.m.), 5 (2:30 p.m.), 11 (7:00 p.m.) and 12 (8:30 a.m.)

HBO2 playdates: March 30 (12:35 a.m.) and April 2 (9:30 p.m.), 4 (8:00 a.m.), 11 (12:45 a.m.) and 12 (2:30 p.m.)

HBO On Demand® and HBO GO® availability begins: April 1.

“Pacquiao vs. Bradley 2” takes place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, April 12 at 9:00 p.m. (ET)/6:00 p.m. (PT), and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View®.

LONDON (March, 28) – BoxNation will get its extensive coverage of Manny Pacquiao’s megafight with Tim Bradley underway with a host of top build-up shows kicking-off tonight.

The pair collide at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on April 12th looking to settle an old score following a controversial meeting back in 2012, when Bradley was handed a decision many felt was not warranted following Pacquiao’s apparently dominant display.

Ahead of the exciting bill live on BoxNation, ‘The Channel of Champions’, is delighted to be bringing fight fans the most comprehensive build up starting tonight at 7pm with the free-to-air showing of “Face Off With Max Kellerman: Pacquiao/Bradley 2”.

“Face Off” gives a gripping insight into both men as they square-off across the table answering Kellerman’s questions, offering them the chance to address each other and their fans ahead of their eagerly anticipated battle.

Following this, BoxNation is excited to be able to bring viewers the multiple Emmy award winning 24/7 series previewing Pacquiao/Bradley 2, with all three episodes of the glitzy behind-the-scenes shows airing free-to-air on the channel.

The premiere of the smash hit reality franchise featuring the two pound-for-pound stars, as they give watchers unique access into their camps, will debut on Tuesday April 1st at 7pm, with episode two a week later on Tuesday April 8th at 7pm and the finale on Friday April 11th at 7pm.

Timings: “Face Off With Max Kellerman: Pacquiao/Bradley 2” airs on BoxNation tonight (Friday March 28th) at 7pm. With Episode 1 of “24/7: Pacquiao-Bradley 2” on Tuesday April 1st at 7pm, Episode 2 on Tuesday April 8th at 7pm and Episode 3 on Friday April 11th at 7pm.

Pacquiao vs. Bradley 2 is live and exclusive on BoxNation (Sky Ch.437/490HD & Virgin Ch.546) on Saturday April 12th. Visit www.boxnation.com to subscribe.

-Ends-

About BoxNation
BoxNation, the Channel of Champions and proud partner of Rainham Steel, is the UK’s first dedicated subscription boxing channel. For £12* a month and no minimum term customers can enjoy great value live and exclusive fights, classic fight footage, magazine shows and interviews with current and former fighters.

BoxNation is proud to support Fight for Peace, a charity that uses boxing and martial arts combined with education and personal development to realise the potential of young people in communities that suffer from crime and violence. Buy LUTA (www.luta.co.uk) clothing and support Fight for Peace.

Previous highlights have included Haye vs Chisora, Khan vs Diaz and Mayweather vs Alvarez.

The channel is available on Sky (Ch.437), Virgin (Ch.546), online at Livesport.tv and via iPhone, iPad or Android. BoxNation is also available in high definition on Sky (Ch. 490), at no extra cost to Sky TV subscribers, providing they are already HD enabled.

BoxNation is also available to commercial premises (inc. pubs, clubs and casino’s) in the UK and Ireland, for more information on a commercial subscription please call 0844 842 7700.

For more information visit www.boxnation.com

*Plus £8 one off registration fee for Sky TV and new Livesport.tv customers.

LONDON (March, 26) – Pound-for-pound ace Manny Pacquiao will be back on British screens next month when he battles WBO welterweight world champion Tim Bradley live and exclusive on BoxNation.

The world’s biggest and best dedicated boxing channel will air the eagerly anticipated rematch taking place at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on April 12th, adding yet another mega showdown to its jam-packed roster.

The news comes hot on the heels following the announcement that the ‘Channel of Champions’ will also screen Floyd Mayweather’s May showdown with Marcos Maidana, which also features Amir Khan’s ring return against the highly respected Luis Collazo.

The initial clash in 2012 between ‘Fighter of the Decade’ Pacquiao and Californian Bradley, ended in much controversy with the American winning a highly contentious split decision.

Both fighters went their separate routes following the bout, with Filipino Pacquiao sensationally knocked out against Juan Manuel Marquez in their fourth meeting before bouncing back in style against the unrelenting Brandon Rios late last year.

Bradley on the other hand has grown since the pair’s first encounter, recording a win over the electrifying Ruslan Provodnikov, in the 2013 Fight of the Year, followed by a split decision victory over the Mexican legend Marquez.

Their April showdown will go a long way to answering the many questions that have arisen since they locked horns two years earlier, with the eyes of the boxing world set to be fixated on two of the very best pound-for-pound fighters when they do battle once again.

“I want my title back and I am prepared to endure my hardest training camp ever to win this fight against Tim Bradley,” said Pacquiao. “It is very exciting to be returning to Las Vegas. And as always, I dedicate this fight to my countrymen throughout the world and to bring glory to the Philippines.”

“This fight is to get the credit I did not get the first time,” said Bradley. “I must beat Pacquiao as convincingly as I beat Juan Manuel Marquez.”

“Tim Bradley is one of the toughest guys in the world and I saw that up close when he fought Ruslan Provodnikov last year,” said Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach, who worked Provodnikov’s corner. “Tim looked even better in beating Marquez in his last fight. Tim is the champion and Manny and I know we have our work cut out for us to successfully challenge him on April 12.”

“This is a fight which will give us peace of mind after the controversy of our first fight,” said Bradley’s trainer Joel Diaz. “We have to win and make it clear. It’s not going to be easy for Pacquiao if he thinks he can beat Bradley. I will guarantee that.”

“At long last a competitive superfight,” said Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum. “I am sure the sports books in Las Vegas are gearing up for huge two-way action.”

Pacquiao-Bradley 2 joins BoxNation’s April schedule which also features the man known as ‘The Alien’ – Bernard Hopkins – who, at 49, puts his IBF light-heavyweight world title on the line in a unification matchup with WBA Super champion Beibut Shumenov.

Plus, the exhilarating Carl Frampton returns to the ring as he takes on Hugo Cazares in a WBC super-bantamweight world title eliminator with the victor facing off against Mexican kingpin Leo Santa Cruz.

Juergen Braehmer and Enzo Maccarinelli also go head-to-head in April for the WBA light-heavyweight world title, before BoxNation brings you the stacked Mayweather-Maidana bill which, in addition to the main event and Khan-Collazo, will see Adrien Broner take on Carlos Molina and rising star J’Leon Love against Marco Antonio Periban.

Even more top action features on BoxNation with heavyweight sensation Tyson Fury taking on the sturdy Dereck Chisora in a WBO world title eliminator on July 26th.

To subscribe to BoxNation (Sky Ch.437/490HD & Virgin Ch.546) for only £12 a month (plus a one-off registration fee) visit www.boxnation.com.

-Ends-

About BoxNation
BoxNation, the Channel of Champions and proud partner of Rainham Steel, is the UK’s first dedicated subscription boxing channel. For £12* a month and no minimum term customers can enjoy great value live and exclusive fights, classic fight footage, magazine shows and interviews with current and former fighters.

BoxNation is proud to support Fight for Peace, a charity that uses boxing and martial arts combined with education and personal development to realise the potential of young people in communities that suffer from crime and violence. Buy LUTA (www.luta.co.uk) clothing and support Fight for Peace.

Previous highlights have included Haye vs Chisora, Khan vs Diaz and Mayweather vs Alvarez.

The channel is available on Sky (Ch.437), Virgin (Ch.546), online at Livesport.tv and via iPhone, iPad or Android. BoxNation is also available in high definition on Sky (Ch. 490), at no extra cost to Sky TV subscribers, providing they are already HD enabled.

BoxNation is also available to commercial premises (inc. pubs, clubs and casino’s) in the UK and Ireland, for more information on a commercial subscription please call 0844 842 7700.

For more information visit www.boxnation.com

*Plus £8 one off registration fee for Sky TV and new Livesport.tv customers.

BOB ARUM: Good morning everyone, this fight has been eagerly anticipated, a lot has been written about it. The two fighters are extraordinarily dedicated to their profession. From everything I hear I think this is going to be a monumental fight and from talking to Freddie and Manny and from watching at the Wild Card that many will be 100% prepared and will give a vintage Manny Pacquiao performance on April 12.

FREDDIE ROACH: Training is going really well. The training in the Philippines went real well. Manny sparred quite a few rounds and just getting the work in. We have five different sparring partners and whatever Bradley brings to the table we will be ready for.

MANNY PACQUIAO: Good morning everyone and thanks for joining me on the call today. I would like to say that training is going very well and I’m sure you will see a good show on April 12.

Tim Bradley has been talking about the fact you may have lost your hunger and won’t be able to get it back…

MANNY PACQUIAO: Yes, I know. I assure you I still have the hunger to win and my desire to win is as strong now as it has ever been. His talk about me has inspired me. It has provided me great motivation in my training.

Do you still think about the decision versus Bradley and how do you feel about it?

FREDDIE ROACH: I don’t get mad. It’s part of life, winning and losing. Revenge is great and that’s what we have a chance to do here we get to reverse that bad decision and get the win here. Hopefully if everything goes well and we fight the right fight we will knock this guy out.

How do you feel about the first fight and do you need to change the strategy for this fight?

FREDDIE ROACH: The thing was it was so easy for Manny in the early rounds that in the later rounds he wasn’t throwing combinations like he usually does. He was just throwing single punches and kind of going through the motions. He thought we was very much ahead, of course, but we needed to be fighting aggressive three minutes of every round and if we fight at a fast pace like that we’ll be able to stop Bradley somewhere during the middle rounds along the way.

Manny, how do you feel when you look back on that fight?

MANNY PACQUIAO: I’m not angry after the decision. The officials did their best and no one is perfect in this world and sometimes they make mistakes. It’s part of boxing. I wasn’t really bothered about it after the fight. When I went home, most of the people were not negative – they were positive about the fight – most of them thought I won the fight.

Do you feel the need for a knockout to put the bad decision to rest?

MANNY PACQUIAO: We are not focusing on the knockout. We are focusing on being more aggressive and throwing a lot of punches – and if the knockout comes, it comes. I just want to prove that I can have the hunger that it takes to get the job done.

Is the tax situation a distraction?

MANNY PACQUIAO: About the tax situation, there is nothing for me to worry about because I did not hide anything. So I am not worried about that.

Have the actions in the Ukraine – specifically Klitschko finding out it is a lot more difficult than he thought, it being much tougher than boxing – deterred you in politics?

MANNY PACQUIAO: Politics is a lot different than boxing. It’s different than sports. Politics is about the nation and the people. There is no way to compare politics to boxing.

Bob, Manny still seems pretty calm about the decision, what do you think?

BOB ARUM: Manny is a pretty sensible guy. That decision was two years ago. You are not going to change the decision, you just go on with your life and you do the best you can in the fight that will take place on April 12. So why would you get worked up about a decision that took place two years ago. It was what it was and now you move on. Duane Ford is no longer judging. C.J. Ross retired in disgrace after another crazy decision and hopefully the Nevada commission will appoint judges from all over the world for this fight that will give a fair result if the fight doesn’t end in a knockout.

What have you learned from Bradley in his last two fights?

FREDDIE ROACH: Bradley is a very tough guy. He takes good shots. He has a good chin. He fought concussed against Ruslan and he didn’t know where he was – I don’t know if that’s a good think or a bad thing – I don’t know if that will show in this fight but if Manny puts enough pressure on him and land some hard shots it will affect him and I think it will be in our favor.

Because of the Bradley decision, do you think that Manny was being overly aggressive in the Marquez fight, which got the best of him?

FREDDIE ROACH: Well, the thing was he just stepped in a little too soon and he got caught and that’s par of boxing. The thing is, I’m not going to take his aggressiveness away from him and in his last fight he fought a very aggressive fight. He might have been able to finish him (Brandon Rios), he hurt him a couple of times but we didn’t jump in so quickly so we did learn some things from that fight. But we are going to fight our fight.

What about the judges for April 12?

BOB ARUM: I don’t know exactly when but we have circulated to both camps, a big list of proposed judges and given the camps the opportunity to knock off referees and judges and I have an 11:00 AM call, we have no Executive Director, so with the Chairman, Cisco Aguilar, to give him the results of the input from both camps and then I think the Commission has a meeting in early April where they will actually select the referee and judges.

Do you feel you have to go for a knockout?

FREDDIE ROACH: We don’t go into fights looking for knockouts, if you do that it’s not going to happen. Knockouts come with combinations – it’s a little bit of a bonus and the thing is we are going to fight this fight our way. We plan to beat him every round and if a knockout comes, it comes but we are not going in there looking for a knockout, because again, if you go in there looking for a knockout you’ll be waiting all night.

If you fight Bradley like you fought Clottey and Margarito with that game plan…

FREDDIE ROACH: No, because one bad decision doesn’t change everything in life and doesn’t change our game plan. We are going to fight that is similar to our last fight –stay very busy and throw combinations and in-and-out. We’ve got a good game plan and Manny’s doing very well with it. We are not going to make any adjustments as to who the judges are because that is out of our control.

How have the judges affected your ability to go in the ring and relax compared to how you fought when you lost that decision to Bradley?

MANNY PACQUIAO: I am not thinking about the judges. I always believe in the decisions of the judges. What I want to do is focus in the ring and focus on the strategy and techniques that we practice in the gym.

Does your religious beliefs affect your attitude in the ring?

MANNY PACQUIAO: No, the religion is a personal thing in my life and fighting in the ring, it’s boxing. It’s my profession. God always gives me strength. In the past I didn’t knock my opponent out – it’s competition – sometimes you knock the opponent out and sometimes you don’t. We cannot predict.

Freddie, do you believe Bradley is in the same class as Manny as a fighter?

FREDDIE ROACH: He is a very good fighter. He is tough and resilient. I don’t think he has all the abilities that Manny has but he is a solid fighter, yes.

Would you ever fight in New York?

MANNY PACQUIAO: I would love to fight in New York, yes. It depends on my promoter Bob Arum. I cannot dictate his strategy – he is the boss and he can talk about the promotion. Wherever the fight is, I will fight.

BOB ARUM: You have to understand that Manny is a foreign national and if he fights in New York he has to pay state tax, city tax, unincorporated tax which comes to fourteen percent. Because he is a foreign national he can’t take a credit for any of those taxes. So the penalty for fighting in New York, if Manny’s earnings are $20M, is as much as $3M. So the difference between fight in Nevada, which has no state taxes, and fighting in New York is $3M. Now it’s conceivable, if somebody is going to make up the difference that he could fight in New York. But why should it come out of his pocket. If someone would want him to fight in New York and change the ridiculously high taxes in New York, or they subsidize his tax bill in New York, that’s how I see it. Now Floyd Mayweather has the same problem – he lives in Nevada where there are no state taxes – so if he pays taxes in New York he doesn’t get a credit to his state taxes because he pays none in Nevada. So it’s well and good to say, why doesn’t he fight in New York, but it becomes a real problem. But if you’re Puerto Rican or Californian, you could fight in New York because California has a big state tax and you get a dollar for dollar credit against your state tax for the tax you paid in New York, and Puerto Rico is the same. This is not an easy situation. New York, as even the Governor Cuomo, has said, is chasing away a lot of business because of the tremendously high tax rates.

Do you feel Bradley is trying to get into your head by questioning your heart and desire in the ring?

MANNY PACQUIAO: I wouldn’t say that. The more he says it the more it inspires me to show the hunger and the killer instinct he is talking about. It’s good for me, but not for them, I think. I am not angry or disappointed about what he says to me but I’m happy that he has told me that because it inspires me to train hard and to focus in the gym on my game plan and focus on the fight. It is a benefit for me.

What do you think has changed in Bradley since you fought him and he has since won two big fights?

FREDDIE ROACH: He has always had a lot of heart. He’s just a very willing guy and he is in very good shape. For his fights he does what he is supposed to do. He boxed well against Marquez and he beat a good fighter. What he will bring to the table against Manny is what he brought against Marquez – he likes to exchange a little bit also, so when we get into an exchange we will have to take advantage of that moment.

MANNY PACQUIAO: I don’t think his style has changed. He has improved since our last fight. Against Tim Bradley I will fight my best and watch him when I get in there. I can match him in boxing skills or if he decides to go toe-to-toe. I am not worried about that because I know his style and I can adjust my style for any style that he may change.

Manny, have you watched the Bradley Marquez fight?

MANNY PACQUIAO: I have not watched the Bradley vs Marquez fight. I was not surprised that Bradley won and won by decision. That is what I had predicted. Bradley obviously fought the better fight and boxed Marquez. I assume Marquez just could not overcome Bradley’s skills and youth and there was no way Bradley was going to go toe-to-toe after his battle with Ruslan Provodnikov.

MANNY PACQUIAO: I do not think Bradley will fight toe-to-toe with me either, so I will have to hunt him down. I am prepared for that. I am not going for a knockout but if the opportunity presents itself, I am going to go for it this time. Bradley’s talk that I am no longer hungry has inspired me throughout this training camp. As Freddie Roach keeps saying every day in training, “No Mercy.”

In closing…

BOB ARUM: I am really excited about this fight. Manny is coming win with a whole new attitude – you are going to see the best of Manny Pacquiao. And Tim Bradley is not the same Tim Bradley that fought Manny Pacquiao two years ago – he is a much more confident fight and he is used to the big stage – he is prepared to do a tremendous fight and those of us who saw him against Provodnikov and Marquez know what a complete fighter he is. So I am looking forward to April12, I think it will be a classic battle with a lot of fireworks and I think people will really enjoy the event.

MANNY PACQUIAO: I than everyone for giving me this chance and I thank my promoter Bob Arum and Top Rank and I would like to invite everybody to watch on April12. There is going to be a lot of boxing and it is going to be an historic fight. Thank you all so much for your support and prayer. God Bless.

********************************

Promoted by Top Rank®, in association with MP Promotions and Tecate, Pacquiao vs. Bradley 2 will take place, Saturday, April 12 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev. It will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.

When Pacquiao and Bradley rumbled the first time, on June 9, 2012 at MGM Grand, Bradley’s hand was raised via a controversial split decision, ending Pacquiao’s welterweight title reign as well as his seven-year, 15-bout winning streak. Though both fighters claimed victory neither was satisfied. Destiny may have played a hand in their first battle but it will be survival of the fittest that determines the winner of this exciting rematch.

Remaining tickets for Pacquiao vs. Bradley 2 are priced at $1,000, $800, $600, $400, $250 and $150, not including applicable service charges. There will be a total ticket limit of 12 per person with a limit of 10 per person at the $1,000, $800, $600, $400 and $250 price levels and a limit of two (2) per person at the $150 price level. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets will also be available for purchase at www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

24/7 Pacquiao/Bradley 2 premieres This Saturday! March 29, at Midnight ET/PT — on HBO. Show 2 debuts Saturday, April 5 at 11:30 p.m. ET/PT and show 3 debuts Thursday, April 10 at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT two nights before the high stakes welterweight title bout.

For fight updates go to www.toprank.com, or www.hbo.com/boxing, on Facebook at facebook.com/trboxing, facebook.com/trboxeo, or facebook.com/hboboxing, and on Twitter at twitter.com/trboxing, twitter.com/trboxeo, or twitter.com/hboboxing. Use the Hashtag #PacBradley to join the conversation on Twitter.

HOLLYWOOD, CALIF. (March 18, 2014) – After completing his first week of training camp at his Hollywood-based Wild Card Boxing Club with Fighter of the Decade MANNY “Pacman” PACQUIAO, Hall of Fame trainer World-Famous FREDDIE ROACH had a few observations he wanted to share as they prepare for their rematch challenge of undefeated World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight champion TIMOTHY “Desert Storm” BRADLEY. Pacquiao-Bradley 2 will take place Saturday, April 12, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev. It will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View®, beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. PT:
“Manny started the week a little slow due to jetlag but finished off strong on Saturday. He was just brilliant in his sparring on Saturday. His footwork was effortless, his hand speed was blazing and his power is as good as it’s ever been.

“We are training for big game in this fight. Manny knows he is going to have to hunt Bradley down and close the show this time. The first fight with Bradley was so easy for Manny that after six rounds he just took it easy on him. Not this time. Our Mantra is ‘Close the show. No mercy.’ You don’t have don’t have to be a groundhog to know that Bradley’s days as welterweight champ are numbered. It’s Last Call for Bradley on April 12.

“Manny is really motivated for this fight. We decided no matter how many fights we have remaining, we are determined to run the table and win every one. And when it is over it is going to be as world champion. And that can only happen with a total and absolute victory over Bradley.

“Bradley says he fought Manny last time with two bad feet. I don’t remember him coming into the ring in a wheelchair. He hurt his feet when Manny connected his power punches on him. Manny hit Bradley so hard it broke his ankles.

“For Bradley to say ‘Manny doesn’t have the hunger anymore and it’s never coming back’ and ‘Manny no longer has his killer instinct,’ that tells me that Bradley is still suffering from the concussion Provodnikov laid on him.”

Pound for pound titans PACQUIAO (55-5-2, 38 KOs), the lone congressional representative from the Sarangani Province in the Philippines, and defending world champion BRADLEY (31-0, 12 KOs), of Palm Springs, Calif., will go mano a mano in their eagerly-anticipated WBO welterweight championship rematch. This will also be Pacquiao’s first fight in the U.S. since 2012.

When Pacquiao and Bradley rumbled the first time, on June 9, 2012 at MGM Grand, Bradley’s hand was raised via a controversial split decision, ending Pacquiao’s welterweight title reign as well as his seven-year, 15-bout winning streak. Though both fighters claimed victory neither was satisfied. Destiny may have played a hand in their first battle but it will be survival of the fittest that determines the winner of this exciting rematch.

24/7 Pacquiao/Bradley 2 premieres Saturday, March 29 at Midnight ET/PT on HBO. Show 2 debuts Saturday, April 5 at 11:30 p.m. ET/PT and show 3 debuts Thursday, April 10 at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT two nights before the high stakes welterweight title bout.

Promoted by Top Rank®, in association with MP Promotions and Tecate, remaining tickets for Pacquiao vs. Bradley 2 are priced at $1,000, $800, $600, $400, $250 and $150, not including applicable service charges. There will be a total ticket limit of 12 per person with a limit of 10 per person at the $1,000, $800, $600, $400 and $250 price levels and a limit of two (2) per person at the $150 price level. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets will also be available for purchase at www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com.
.
For fight updates go to www.toprank.com, or www.hbo.com/boxing, on Facebook at facebook.com/trboxing, facebook.com/trboxeo, or facebook.com/hboboxing, and on Twitter at twitter.com/trboxing, twitter.com/trboxeo, or twitter.com/hboboxing. Use the Hashtag #PacBradley to join the conversation on Twitter.

Photo by Chris Farina / Top Rank

Photos by Chris Farina / Top Rank

NEW YORK, March 3, 2014 – HBO Sports’ groundbreaking “24/7” reality franchise, which has captured 17 Sports Emmy® Awards and produced 18 multi-part boxing editions since 2007, will look at the upcoming world welterweight championship rematch between Manny Pacquiao and unbeaten titleholder Timothy Bradley Jr. with 24/7 PACQUIAO/BRADLEY 2, a set of three shows debuting SATURDAY, MARCH 29 (midnight-12:30 a.m. ET/PT). Spanning three weeks, the three unique programs will offer inside access to the two elite fighters and their camps as they prepare for their intriguing welterweight title showdown April 12 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

“‘Pacquiao-Bradley 2’ is the ideal event to take the ‘24/7’ franchise and develop new ideas and programming, while continuing to provide viewers a compelling look at the intensity of the fighters as they prepare for this highly anticipated showdown,” noted Bernstein.

The second edition of 24/7 PACQUIAO/BRADLEY 2, debuting SATURDAY, APRIL 5 (11:30 p.m.-midnight), will be a traditional “24/7” presentation. The third show debuts THURSDAY, APRIL 10 (8:30-9:00 p.m.) on location from Las Vegas two nights before the high-stakes welterweight bout and will capture the energy and intensity of fight week.

Debuting immediately after the “HBO Boxing After Dark” doubleheader that begins at 10:00 p.m., 24/7 PACQUIAO/BRADLEY 2 will chronicle the road the two fighters have taken since their controversial first meeting in June 2012 and show how they visualize their highly anticipated rematch.

Born amid poverty in the Philippines, Manny Pacquiao (55-5-2, 38 KOs), 35, has met every challenge to become a worldwide star, capturing world titles in eight different weight divisions. He is the lone congressional representative from the Sarangani province of his homeland, winning reelection to a second term last year. Now, Pacquiao is determined to overcome the setback he experienced in 2012 when he and Bradley first tangled on the Las Vegas strip.

Timothy Bradley Jr. (31-0, 12 KOs), 30, is battled-tested and fearless, having scored wins in his remarkable pro career over the likes of Devon Alexander, Manny Pacquiao, Ruslan Provodnikov and Juan Manuel Marquez. Bradley’s triumphs over Provodnikov (named the “Fight of the Year” by the BWAA) and Marquez last year propelled the undefeated champ into the elite fighter category.

Pacquiao is expected to surround himself with a trusted contingent of family and friends as he works in the Philippines and then in Hollywood, Cal. with longtime trainer Freddie Roach. Team Bradley, under the guidance of trainer Joel Diaz, will hold camp in Bradley’s hometown of Palm Springs, Cal.

“Pacquiao vs. Bradley 2” takes place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, April 12 at 9:00 p.m. (ET)/6:00 p.m. (PT), and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View®.

Photos by Chris Farina / Top Rank

Photos By Chris Farina / Top Rank

Photos by Chris Farina / Top Rank

There’s terrible irony in news that the Philippines has frozen Manny Pacquiao’s financial assets and placed a lien on the Filipino Congressman’s home over allegations that he owes $50.2 million in unpaid taxes. Pacquiao fought Brandon Rios in China to avoid U.S. taxes, yet he finds himself in a tax fight at home just a few days after a convincing decision over Rios in Macao.

There’s been a lot of talk about whom Pacquiao will fight next. Juan Manuel Marquez, Timothy Bradley and Ruslan Provodnikov have all been mentioned. No matter where and when the next one happens, however, the taxman could be there in what might be Pacquiao’s toughest and longest fight.

The Filipino Bureau of Internal Revenue’s claim against him is as confusing as the IRS long form. In a prepared statement, Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum said U.S. taxes have been paid for five fights during the two years in question, 2008 and 2009. Under Filipino law, Pacquiao would not be have to pay the Filipino taxes on money already taxed and paid in the U.S., Even there, however, a potential problem has emerged. The U.S. tax rate in 2008 and 2009 was 30 percent. The Filipino rate was 32 percent. In some news reports, Filipino authorities have suggested that Pacquiao might be liable for the two-percent difference.

Arum said that Top Rank will prove that Pacquiao paid his U.S. taxes. Documentation, certified by the IRS, will be made available, Arum said. But you might get on to the Obamacare website before those documents get done. Filipino tax commissioner Kim Henares said she has been waiting for them for two years. Expect this mess to drag on. And on.

Meanwhile, Pacquiao has alleged harassment. Maybe. He’s a politician, after all. Alleging tax evasion has always been one way to attack a political opponent, in the U.S. and everywhere else. If the political version of a low blow is in the mix, however, it only makes things messier than they already appear to be. It also means it will be there, in one form or another, for as long as Pacquiao stays in politics

Politics and money, often inseparable, have become the two-headed distraction that the multi-tasking Pacquaio cannot control. Against Rios, Pacquaio showed he still can fight at a level that can generate more money in a career already estimated to have grossed $300 million. He looks to have a couple of years, three or four more fights, left in the bank. In a somewhat surprising announcement, Arum said Pacquiao will be back in the U.S. for a fight in April.

There had been talk that Pacquiao would never set foot in a U.S. ring again because of President Barack Obama’s 39.6-percent tax rate. Even with that, however, the U.S. still might be the best place to maximize Pacquiao’s income because the pay-per-view infrastructure is in place. In China, it’s not and won’t be for perhaps another year. Pacquiao can’t wait and HBO won’t. In Macao, Pacquiao’s guarantee was $17 million. The guess is that he’ll wind up with about $20 million after he gets his cut of the pay-per-view, still undisclosed. If those projections stand up and the Filipino tax man takes 32 percent, Pacquiao winds up with $13.6 million.

In his loss by a lethal stoppage to Juan Manuel Marquez last December in Las Vegas, Pacquiao grossed about $30 million. At the old IRS rate of 30 percent, he netted $21 million. Under the new rate of 39.6 percent, his net would have been $18.12 million, or $4.52 million more than he was projected to collect in Macao. Follow the money. Arum always does. His Chinese venture looks to be an investment in the future. In time, maybe the money will be there. For now, however, it’s where it’s always been.

At 34, money is probably more important than ever for Pacquiao. He has just a more few opportunities to make the big bucks. Although confusing, the Filipino tax claim only adds a sense of urgency to the final stage in his career. In part, the tax controversy isn’t exactly a surprise. There has been anecdotal evidence for at least year that Pacquiao is under some financial pressure. There have always been stories about Pacquiao’s generosity. Arum openly joked about it. Then, worried about it.

Pacquiao gave it away to poor people on Filipino streets. Then, he spent lavishly on political campaigns for himself and wife Jinkee. In August 2013, he put his Los Angeles home up for sale at $2.7 million. A longtime associate, Wakee Salud, was quoted in Filipino media as saying that Pacquiao was going broke. For now, it’s impossible to know if he is. Or he isn’t. But the tax controversy is a sign that money will motivate him as much as it does Floyd Mayweather Jr., who has the “Money” nickname and more of it than anybody.

Maybe, money will finally make the Mayweather-Pacquiao showdown. Don’t bet on it. But if it ever does, don’t be surprised if the Filipino taxman is there, demanding most, if not all, of Pacquiao’ share in what could be $100-million fight.