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.

By Bart Barry
A few weeks back I did something I rarely do: I made plans to attend a Las Vegas fight, Timothy Bradley versus Manny Pacquiao on April 12, without having much of an idea why. What follows, then, is an effort to understand better my interest in this event.

If there was a hint of the overrated about Pacquiao going into his first match with Bradley in June 2012 at MGM Grand, a hint that became still more than a clue six months later as Pacquiao laid on the same blue mat, facedown and motionless, there is a similar if somewhat more subtle hint of the overrated about Bradley as we head to April 2014. I believed in his third match with Juan Manuel Marquez, Pacquiao was credited with punches that didn’t land, footwork that didn’t exist, and power that didn’t remain. Is that why I scored close rounds for Bradley in June 2012? Sure, yes, guilty.

In retrospect, that match might have gone either way but should have gone to no man widely. And yet. Spurred by an irresponsibly lopsided broadcast, complete with an unofficial scorecard that told few truths, a large number of persons to this day think the decision for Bradley was farcical. It was not.

While Manny Pacquiao looked considerably better in his final conscious rounds with Marquez six months later, able to land punches more cleanly, certainly, than he’d been able to land them on Bradley in June or Marquez in any of the 35 rounds that followed his three-knockdown blitz of the Mexican master way back in 2004, the probability is that Marquez was more open to be punched because Marquez – perceiving with a preternatural predatory precision – took note of Pacquiao’s eroded reflexes, married those to a powerfully newfound belief in his illgotten new physique, and looked to make offensive ploys he’d not have dared pursue in their 2008 rematch. It’s not that Pacquiao was suddenly a much better fighter for a few rounds in December 2012 than he’d been in June or the previous December – his defense hadn’t improved a jot, as evidenced by gloves unnaturally folded beneath his body in perfect serenity at the end of round 6 – just that Marquez was emboldened by how much less Pacquiao was then than the guy he’d spend 108 minutes being punched by in bygone fights.

There is an argument to be made Pacquiao’s reflexes dulled sometime during his Silly Season, the two-year stretch, 2009-2011, between his match with Miguel Cotto and his third fight with Marquez. The reduced competition did this, yes, along with an improved risk-to-reward ratio and the decadence that wrought, but there may have been, too, the sockdolagers Margarito put on his body and, perhaps most to the point, the brutality of Pacquiao’s sparring with campmate Ruslan Provodnikov.

“Siberian Rocky” is in a different class; veteran writers will describe the way a world champion sounds on handpads as opposed to a career challenger, but much of that is show, and none tells of a chin. The sound of Provodnikov’s fists on Mike Alvarado’s body in October, though, was in a different class and far more telling than handpad tricks because, well, Provodnikov had to throw those punches under the rational assumption a world titlist might endeavor to punch him at the exact same moment, and assumptions like that scumble one’s commitment.

Provodnikov is relevant, here, because he is the one man, apart from Marquez, whom Pacquiao and Bradley have in common, and while Marquez iced Pacquiao in a special sort of way, one would almost prefer the cutting of the lights to what excruciating happenings must compose rounds opposite Provodnikov on a blue mat. Almost always the term “most feared” is a marketing slogan applied by someone who has never fought to a client who never makes big fights, but Provodnikov should be called most feared by any and all; he is the man who shortens careers and changes men, compromising the very fabric of their identities, and if Timothy Bradley never again sells it out to fight like a noble fool, Provodnikov will be the reason why.

To beat Pacquiao again, Bradley will not need to engage at nearly the maniacal level he engaged Provodnikov. Las Vegas judges are already sympathetic to Bradley, as evidenced by his winning more October rounds against Marquez in Las Vegas than he deserved, and they will look thrice as closely at how many of Pacquiao’s actual punches actually land in an actually effective way this time, thrice as closely as HBO’s broadcast crew did the first time the two men fought.

Another note about that, and the effect it takes: I was a member of boxing’s laity in 1999 when Felix Trinidad decisioned Oscar De La Hoya in what I remembered from that time to be perhaps the most egregious superfight robbery since Julio Cesar Chavez’s 1993 draw with Pernell Whitaker. Apropos of a retrospective I worked on last week for a magazine piece timed to coincide with Trinidad’s June induction in the IBHOF, I reviewed the fight and was flabbergasted by the bias of its commentary – a piece of work that comprised one veteran broadcaster calling every Trinidad right cross “another left hook by Oscar!”, and a former heavyweight world champion finding himself so enamored of De La Hoya’s jab that he eschewed speaking Trinidad’s name altogether in the match’s opening half. One’s sense of the match 15 years later is that a draw was fair, but if not a draw then tie-goes-to-the-puncher, and De La Hoya’s skittering flight from Trinidad in the final six minutes subverted his claims on any lasting dissent. So different was the tone of that match in Puerto Ricans’ eyes that in December, at the press conference announcing Tito’s selection to the Hall, Trinidad was asked sincerely if he thought De La Hoya even belonged there (Trinidad stated empathically that he did).

The cost to attend superfights anymore is prohibitive, I know – even for credentialed media – so do not consider this a remedy for bias’ woes, but I will be at MGM Grand on April 12 because I’m interested in the descent of Pacquiao’s career and the prime of Bradley’s, and frankly, I do not trust what I see on pay-per-view broadcasts.

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

Photo by Chris Farina / Top Rank

LAS VEGAS, NEV. (March 14, 2014) — American Idol’s JESSICA SANCHEZ is confirmed to sing the National Anthem of the Philippines before the world welterweight championship rematch between Fighter of the Decade Manny Pacquiao and undefeated two-division world champion Timothy Bradley. Pacquiao-Bradley 2 will take place Saturday, April 12, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. It will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View®, beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.

Sanchez sang the U.S. National Anthem before Pacquiao vs. Bradley in 2012 and the National Anthems of the U.S. and the Philippines last November before Pacquiao vs. Brandon Rios in Macau, China During Pacquiao – Rios Fight Week, Jessica released her single, “Lead Me Home,” and announced that all the proceeds would be donated to Typhoon Relief. Immediately following the Pacquiao-Rios fight, she embarked on a two-week charity trip to the Philippines with the Starkey Foundation where Pacquiao joined her.

The 18-year-old San Diegan was the runner-up in the 11th season of television’s No. 1 rated show, AMERICAN IDOL on FOX. Sanchez quickly became a fan favorite that season with her powerhouse vocals, often garnering high praise from the judges each week.

Prior to IDOL, Sanchez competed on the first season of AMERICA’S GOT TALENT when she was only 11 years old.

Her album’s release, Me, You & the Music, in spring 2013, debuted at No. 8 on the pop charts and she joined the cast of Glee as a guest star for the season finale. Sanchez is ecstatic to share her own music with the world.

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

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.

Photos by Chris Farina / Top Rank

LOS ANGELES (March 8, 2014) — Fighter of the Decade MANNY “Pacman” PACQUIAO and his Hall of Fame Trainer World-Famous FREDDIE ROACH broke camp today in General Santos City in the Philippines and are en route to the U.S. On Monday, at Roach’s Hollywood-based Wild Card Boxing Club, they will begin phase two of training for their mission to recapture the World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight championship title that undefeated two-division defending champion TIMOTHY “Desert Storm” BRADLEY, JR. won off of Pacquiao via a controversial split decision in 2012.

Team Pacquiao is scheduled to land at Los Angeles International Airport’s Tom Bradley International Terminal today at 6:15 p.m. PT via Philippine Airlines Flight 102. This link will give you updated arrival information. http://www1.philippineairlines.com/index.php/flights/actual-flight-status/

“We had a great camp in the Philippines and Manny, as usual, is way ahead of schedule in his conditioning , and very motivated,” said Roach. “The real business begins for us on Monday at Wild Card. We have great sparring waiting for Manny. He wants that title back. If Bradley thinks he’s going to see the same compassionate Manny he saw the first time they fought he is in for a very big surprise.”

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 on Saturday, April 12 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. It will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View®, beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT. 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.

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.

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.
.
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.

March 7, 2014 – Fight fans eager for a unique inside look at the highly anticipated April 12th HBO Pay-Per-View® world welterweight championship rematch between undefeated 147-pound title-holder Timothy Bradley Jr. and the world renowned Filipino sensation Manny Pacquiao should mark their calendars to catch an all-new edition of “Face Off,” starring the two prizefighters. “Face Off With Max Kellerman: Pacquiao/Bradley 2” debuts Saturday, March 22 at 11:45 p.m. (ET/PT) on HBO.

Moderated by Max Kellerman, “Face Off” is an insightful and often gripping interview session in which the two fighters square off and answer Kellerman’s questions. The fighters also get the chance to address each other and their fans in this engaging format.

A “Pacquiao/Bradley 2” extended version of “Face Off” is set to air multiple times on HBO and HBO2 (schedule below). “Face Off” will also be available on the HBO On Demand® service, HBO GO® and at www.hbo.com/boxing as well as various other new media platforms that distribute the program.

HBO air times include: March 22 (11:45 p.m.), 25 (8:15 a.m. & 3:15 p.m.), 29 (12:30 a.m.), 30 (12:30 p.m.) and April 1 (2:00 a.m.), 2 (7:45 p.m.), 5 (2:15 p.m.), 7 (8:15 p.m.), 9 (9:15 a.m.), 11 (6:30 p.m.) & 12 (10:30 a.m.).

HBO2 air times include: March 23 (10:30 a.m.), 27 (1:00 p.m.,6:15 p.m.) 30 (1:05 a.m.) and April 1 (11:40 a.m.), 4 (10:30 a.m.), 10 (9:45 p.m.), 11 (12:30 a.m. & 2:15 a.m.) & 12 (4:30 p.m.).

All times are ET/PT.

“Face Off With Max Kellerman: Pacquiao/Bradley 2” kicks-off four consecutive weeks of original programming and features surrounding the first mega-fight of 2014. It culminates when Pacquiao vs. Bradley 2 takes place Saturday, April 12 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The fight will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/ 6:00 p.m. PT.

LAS VEGAS, NEV. (March 4, 2014) — Grammy Award-winning singer/ songwriter, actor and author ASHANTI will sing the National Anthem at the rematch between Fighter of the Decade MANNY PACQUIAO and undefeated two-division world champion TIMOTHY BRADLEY, JR. Pacquiao and Bradley will be battling for the World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title, Saturday, April 12, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev. The world welterweight championship event will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View, beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. PT.

“I’m such a huge fan of Manny Pacquiao! I have family in the boxing business — Howard Davis, Jr. and Dyah Davis,” said Ashanti. “When I found out we were sitting next to each other courtside at the Knicks game, I said to my Dad, ‘We should take a picture!’ I told Manny I was a big fan and was so excited when he asked me to sing the National Anthem at his upcoming fight and I can’t wait. I actually love boxing! Manny’s such a champion and I can’t wait to cheer him on!”

“Ashanti and I first met on February 5 in New York when we found ourselves sitting next to each other courtside at a Knicks game,” said Pacquiao. “I told her I was a big fan and asked her if she would sing the U.S. National Anthem at my fight against Timothy Bradley. She quickly checked her schedule and then said she could and she would. The Knicks may have lost that night but I felt like the biggest winner in the world when I walked out of Madison Square Garden.”

Ashanti’s forthcoming album, the highly-anticipated “Braveheart” will be released Today! Tuesday, March 4, on her label Written Entertainment, where she is the CEO, and distributed by eOne Music. The album features the heart-wrenching single, “Never Should Have,” that won the 2013 Soul Train Award for Best Independent R&B/Soul Performance. “Braveheart” also includes the tracks “I Got It” featuring Rick Ross and “First Real Love” featuring Beenie Man. Ashanti made her directorial debut for her video “The Woman You Love” featuring Buster Rhymes and produced by LT Hutton.

Ashanti burst onto the music scene with her smash hit, self-titled debut album “Ashanti.” It landed the No. 1 spot on both the Billboard Top 200 and R&B album charts, selling a whopping 504,593 units in its first week. Her first week showing set a SoundScan record as the most albums sold by any debut female artist in the chart’s history, granting her a spot in Guinness Book of World Records. With her hit song, “Foolish,” Ashanti also secured the No. 1 top spot on SIX Billboard charts simultaneously, including Hot R&B/ Hip-Hop Airplay, The Billboard 200, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles and Tracks, Hot 100 Airplay, Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and Hot 100! “Foolish” stayed on the Billboard charts for 11 consecutive weeks. She made Billboard history by having her first three chart entries land in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 at the same time. She is the first female to accomplish this feat, previously only attained by the Beatles.

That year she was awarded eight Billboard awards. Her album “Ashanti” topped the Billboard Album Chart and also won the Grammy for Best Contemporary R&B Album. In addition, that year she won two American Music Awards and the Soul Train Aretha Franklin Entertainer of the Year Award. In addition to her Grammy, she’s also received multiple Soul Train Awards, a MOBO (Music of Black Origin) Award, a Comet Award (Grammy Equivalent in Germany), Lady of Soul Awards, a Teen Choice Award and Nickelodeon’s Kid Choice Award, along with many other nominations including an MTV movie award nomination and an NAACP Image Award Nomination for her role as Kera in “Coach Carter.”

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

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.

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.

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

Fighter of the Decade Manny Pacquiao (55-5-2, 38 KOs) will appear in studio during tonight’s episode of Olbermann live at 11 p.m. ET. Pacquiao is in New York for a Thursday press conference to announce his much anticipated rematch between undefeated Welterweight title holder Timothy Bradley Jr. (31-0, 12 KOs). The fight will take place Saturday, April 12, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Bradley won a controversial split decision, ending Pacquiao’s Welterweight title reign, in their first fight back in 2012.

MANNY PACQUIAO QUOTES:

“I remember last time believing that I won the first fight against Tim Bradley. I thought I was leading after every round. I thought I won the fight easily. I controlled the fight every round.

“I had a feeling in training camp that he would run from me once he felt my power and he did…after the third or fourth round.

“To be honest, I wasn’t as motivated when I was training for our first fight. I guess I didn’t take him seriously enough.

“I was very surprised by the decision. But that’s part of the game. He got the decision and my title.

“Bradley was tough and strong. His style was different from mine.

“I am impressed with what Bradley has done since our fight. He is a different fighter now since we fought. He has more experience at this level and as a welterweight champion. He fought extremely well against Márquez. I knew Tim would beat him utilizing his speed. But I am still faster than Bradley.

“The only way Bradley can beat me this time is to knock me out. He cannot outbox me. I will be the aggressor. I will throw a lot of punches at him – more than I threw against Rios — and I will land them. Last time I was too nice. This time, I will finish what I start.

“I want to get back that belt he won off of me.

“Boxing has always been fun for me. This time the fun is secondary. This is a mission to prove I am the best.

“In my fight against Rios I proved I can still fight at the high level everyone expects from me. I showed I can still control a fight as well as I ever have.

“I’m excited to be back in Las Vegas fighting. Las Vegas attracts great boxing fans and I have great memories of fighting there.

“For training camp I intend to spend the first four weeks at my gym in General Santos City and the last four weeks at Wild Card in Hollywood”

TIMOTHY BRADLEY QUOTES

“This is all about redemption. I need Manny. He needs me. I’m going to beat him again. I am younger and a better fighter. Manny fights for the money. I have the hunger to win.

“I scored our fight eight rounds to four in my favor. No way he won that fight.

“Manny is great but he is also mortal. I’m not intimidated by him or his legend.

“Manny didn’t look the same against Rios. He didn’t have his usual killer instinct. That’s the first thing I noticed.

“I don’t think he has the hunger anymore and it’s never coming back. He no longer has his killer instinct. That’s the first thing I noticed in the Rios fight. Every time he backed Rios into a corner, Manny stepped back instead of going for it. He didn’t even try to put Rios away. That spoke volumes to me.

“When I fought Márquez I knew my quickness would come into play. I set traps and used my quickness. I fought with intelligence. I used my pure boxing skills.

“I know all about Manny. I went into the ring with him. I felt his best punches.

“Me, I am a different fighter than the one who fought Pacquiao in our first fight. I am more mature, smarter, and I now listen to what my corner is saying.”

LAS VEGAS, NEV. (February 4, 2014) – In a battle of pound for pound titans, undefeated two-division world champion TIMOTHY “Desert Storm” BRADLEY will defend his World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title against Fighter of the Decade Congressman MANNY “Pacman” PACQUIAO. This will be Pacquiao’s first fight in the U.S. since 2012. 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.

Tickets for Pacquiao vs. Bradley 2, priced at $1,000, $800, $600, $400, $250 and $150, not including applicable service charges, go on sale Tomorrow! Wednesday, February 5 at 1:00 p.m. ET/10:00 a.m. PT. 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.

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.

“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 Márquez.”

“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 Márquez 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 super fight,” said Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum. “I am sure the sports books in Las Vegas are gearing up for huge two-way action.”

“Rarely do we see two marquee fighters wanting to fight each other in order to settle doubt,” said Todd duBoef, President of Top Rank. “Someone is going to be very disappointed after the fight.”

“Fight fans have been clamoring for a rematch ever since the decision of Pacquiao vs. Bradley I was announced on June 9, 2012,” said Mark Taffet, Senior Vice President, HBO Pay-Per-View. “These are two exceptional athletes, elite world class prizefighters, who do not hesitate to accept difficult challenges on the sport’s biggest stage. We can’t wait for April 12th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.”

“It is an honor to host this international championship boxing event at MGM Grand in April,” said Richard Sturm, president of Entertainment & Sports for MGM Resorts International. “We look forward to another successful fight and know the rematch between Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley will be exciting for the fans in the Arena and watching on television worldwide.”

“Based on the results of their first fight and considering Bradley’s recent success against Márquez and Provodnikov, this fight’s price will be much closer than the first time,” said Jay Rood, Vice President of Race & Sports for MGM Resorts International.
“Our opening number is Pacquiao -180 and +160 for Bradley which means Manny is slightly less than a 2-to-1 favorite. This line may in fact move up and down with most of our action picking up during fight week in April.”

Pacquiao (55-5-2, 38 KOs), the lone congressional representative from the Sarangani province in the Philippines (he was reelected to a second term, running unopposed last year), is the only fighter to win eight world titles in as many different weight divisions. A three-time Fighter of the Year and the Boxing Writers Association of America’s “Fighter of the Decade,” Pacquiao’s resumé features victories over future Hall of Famers, including Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, Miguel Cotto, Shane Mosley and Juan Manuel Márquez. From 2008 to 2010, five of his seven victories were world title victories in five different weight classes, from 130 to 154 pounds. No active boxer has sold more live tickets in the U.S. than Pacquiao, who is also credited with more than 12 million pay-per-view buys. He returns to the ring after a scintillating beatdown of former world champion Brandon Rios last November in Macau, China.

Bradley (31-0, 12 KOs), from Palm Springs, Calif., a two-division world champion who unified the junior welterweight titles twice during his previous four-year reign, returns to the ring after three consecutive career-best victories. After moving up in weight and beating Pacquiao in 2012, Bradley co-starred in the Fight of the Year on March16, 2013, winning a brutal 12-round decision over future world champion Ruslan Provodnikov though Bradley was suffering from a concussion throughout most of the fight. In his most recent fight, on October 12, Bradley gave a virtuoso performance in defeating three-division world champion and Mexican icon Juan Manuel Márquez proving that Bradley is indeed one of boxing’s elite pound for pound fighters.

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.

Photos by Chris Farina / Top Rank

Photos by Chris Farina / Top Rank

GOBBLER’S KNOB, (Groundhog Day 2014) — At approximately 7:25 A.M. ET today, Punxsutawney Phil — the Seer of Seers, Prognosticator of Prognosticators — emerged from his burrow at Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, PA, and proclaimed, in his native Groundhogese, that Fighter of the Decade MANNY “Pacman” PACQUIAO would regain the WBO welterweight title when he rumbles again with undefeated defending world champion TIMOTHY “Desert Storm” BRADLEY on Saturday, April 12, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas., Nev. Promoted by Top Rank®, in association with MP Promotions and Tecate, the world welterweight championship rematch between these pound-for-pound titans will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View®, beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. PT.

“Without a shadow of a doubt, Bradley is going to get iced — Manila Iced — when he faces the Pacquiao Polar Vortex,” said the world’s No. 1 pound-for-pound quadruped during his annual news conference. “Pacquiao is going to Arctic blast Bradley off his world championship throne. Can Bradley win the rematch? He has a better shot of making it across the George Washington Bridge from Fort Lee in one day.”

Wearing a traditional Barong, El PHILipino was headed to Pittsburgh International Airport to catch a flight to Los Angeles International Airport where he will join members of the Pacman Nation in welcoming boxing’s only eight-division world champion when he arrives today on Philippine Airlines flight 102 at 6:40 p.m. PT.

When pressed for a definitive answer on whether Bradley had a chance to defeat Pacquiao, Phil astounded the media by answering in Tagalog and in English.

Quoth the groundhog, “Hinding-hindi na. Nevermore.”

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

When Pacquiao (55-5-2, 38 KOs), the lone congressional representative from the Sarangani Province of the Philippines, and Bradley (31-0, 12 KOs), of Palm Springs, Calif., 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.

Both fighters will be hosting press conferences announcing their rematch fight this week in Los Angeles on Tuesday and New York on Thursday .

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.

Rematches can be predictable remakes, or tiresome redundancies, or just unnecessary. But Manny Pacquiao-Timothy Bradley is none of the above. It had to happen.

In some ways, April 12 is more of a resumption than a rematch of Bradley’s rancorous split-decision over Pacquiao on June 9, 2012. Once the controversy subsided to a dull roar, only questions were left in the debris. If this were business as usual, there would be no answers and only the futility that surrounds the never-never land of a Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather Jr. possibility.

But Pacquiao and Bradley will pick up where they left off in the same MGM Grand ring where their first chapter ended in what ranks as boxing’s noisiest controversy during the Twitter era.

Economics and a collection of dwindling options probably had more to do with the agreement than anything. Robert Guerrero’s name popped up as a Pacquiao possibility, but Bob Arum quickly dismissed that one.

If Arum hopes to re-affirm Pacquaio as a pay-per-view star after a reported audience of 475,000-to-500,000 bought his victory in China over Brandon Rios, he needed an attraction. Guerrero would have been a tune-up, another Rios. But a rematch with Bradley represents compelling drama with stage and story already in place.

It’s a dangerous fight, especially for Pacquiao. Most of the momentum appears to be with Bradley. In announcing the rematch, Arum called Bradley a different guy. In the public eye, he is. He underwent a remarkable transformation in the months since he was unfairly portrayed as a villain for the scorecards that gave him the debatable decision over Pacquiao.

He displayed courage in beating former Pacquiao sparring partner Ruslan Provodnikov in the 2013 Fight of the Year. Then, there was his poise and patience in outworking Juan Manuel Marquez, whose one-handed stoppage of Pacquiao in December 2012 put him face down and face-to-face with doubts the Filipino has yet to knock out. He looked good in scoring a decision over Rios in November. Only against Bradley, however, can he really prove he’s still the whirlwind we remember.

There’s plenty of uncertainty about whether he can. Indications are that Pacquaio will be about 7-4 favorite. At opening bell in 2012, he was favored 4 ½-to-1. If the speed and angles employed by Pacquaio in the first fight are still there, Bradley is in trouble. At least, that’s the theory.

But a couple of things happened in 2012 . Bradley suffered injuries to both ankles then. He showed up at the post-fight news conference in a wheel chair. In a sport that has seen it all, there’s no record of the winner ever addressing the media while confined to a wheel chair.

It’s fair to assume that Bradley’s ankles will hold up this time around. What happens then? Bradley without limits on his mobility has a much better chance in what figures to be another close fight.

Meanwhile, close fights have become a Bradley trademark, if not identity. He’s won each of his last three by narrow decision – Pacquiao and Marquez by split and Provodnikov by one point on two cards and three on the third. Debate the scoring all you want, but they add up to a resiliency. The unbeaten Bradley finds a way. He’s a survivor, which means he won’t waste a second chance.

Pacquiao’s motivation is no secret. He has a right to think he was robbed in 2012. He’s anxious to correct the record, to claim what should have been his all long. That’s an intangible, yet powerful. Still, it’s hard to get a good read on just who Pacquiao is these days. There’s been plenty of evidence he has lost some speed and power. To wit: The Pacquaio of old would have stopped Rios within five rounds.

There’s also talk about money problems and reports about tax issues. Who really knows? But know this: Pacquiao could have told Arum to put a hold on Bradley. He could have demanded Guerrero in a dull, yet safe step that might have kept alive talk about Mayweather, who started his Showtime contract with tune-up victory over Guerrero.

Pacquiao’s contract with Arum is set to expire at the end of 2014. Could Arum have said no? Pacquiao apparently listened to Arum. In terms of the bottom line, Bradley makes sense. In terms of Pacquaio’s career, there was no other choice. He had to pick Bradley if he wanted the public to take him seriously. But it’s very dangerous. So know this too:

Pacquiao has a history of agreeing to perilous rematches. He gave Marquez three extra chances when he really didn’t have to. The third chance proved devastating. But it was also fair and fearless, just two more elements in a series that has it all and begs for more.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, the complete televised undercard for the April 12th rematch between Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley has been set.

In a WBA Super Lightweight title bout Khabin Allekhverdiev will defend against Jesse Vargas. Ray Beltran will take on Roman Martinez in a Lightweight bout and Bryan Vazquez will defend an interim 130 lb title against Jose Felix Jr.

“All three of them are competitive fights,” said promoter Bob Arum said. “So I guess whichever fight the press and the fans seem like most is the one we’ll make the semifinal. I think they’re all good fights. Beltran-Martinez is the one I want to see more than the others, so we’ll see if the press and the fans agree with me. But overall, I think we’re looking at some good, entertaining fights on the card.”

“This (Beltran – Martinez) is a really interesting crossroads fight,” said Top Rank’s Moretti said. “Both guys have had wars with Burns. Neither guy has ever been in a bad fight. Beltran is a strong puncher who makes good fights. Rocky has been in a lot of good fights. I expect fireworks. I wouldn’t be shocked if both guys hit the canvas.”

On Allekhverdiev – Vargas:

“This is the first chance we’ve had to expose Khabib in the United States since we signed him because of the injury and the mandatory, and he’s in with Jessie, who is dropping back down to 140 pounds,” Moretti said. “It’s an interesting matchup. The winner is probably going to get a big payday after this fight.

“I’ve seen Khabib on tape. He’s a very competent fighter and [Top Rank matchmaker] Brad [Goodman] has watched Vargas train in the gym and thinks he is doing marvelously,” Arum said. “We could see an upset.”

“We believe Jose Felix’s stock is on the rise,” Moretti said. “Hopefully, the card on April 12 will provide him a platform to show what he has against a more experienced, action fighter in Bryan Vasquez.”

Floyd Mayweather and the Timothy Bradley – Ruslan Provodnikov war highlighted the 2013 BWAA Awards which were announced Tuesday according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

It is the second time Mayweather has won the award. He also won in 2007, the last time he fought at least two times in a calendar year.

The pound-for-pound king was dominant as ever last year and Tuesday won Sugar Ray Robinson Fighter of the Year honors.
“It is a great honor to be voted by the BWAA as fighter of the year. To be recognized by this organization is special and I truly appreciate it,” Mayweather said in a statement given to ESPN.com. “I also want to congratulate the other winners and also recognize my fellow nominees, whose achievements in the ring this past year afforded them nominations too.”

“I have dedicated my whole career to being the best and because of that I have been on top for 17 years,” Mayweather said. “Hard work and dedication got me there and awards like these help keep me there too. On behalf of myself and the entire Money Team, I thank you so very much.”

“It’s unbelievable. I can’t even imagine, Timothy Bradley in a fight of the year,” Bradley said after ESPN.com had informed him that he had won. “It takes two people willing to engage in that type of action so I gotta give major props to Ruslan Provodnikov for bringing the best out of me. We put it all on the line. We put our lives on the line. I hope that all the fans really appreciated that night.

“I have talked to so many different people who say it was the best fight they have seen in a long time or that it is the best fight they have ever seen, and I’m a part of it. Who would think Timothy Bradley would be in a fight of the year and win the fight of the year? It’s a huge accomplishment.”

Freddie Roach won his sixth Eddie Futch Trainer of the Year award, a BWAA record, thanks in large part to his work with Manny Pacquiao, Miguel Cotto and Provodnikov.

“It’s nice to be back in the mix. We had a bad year (in 2012) and we had a much better year (in 2013),” Roach told ESPN.com. “No. 6? I love being recognized for what we do but without the fighters I wouldn’t be here.”

The Cus D’Amato Manager of the Year went to Al Haymon, whose list of clients is long and impressive, including Mayweather, junior welterweight champion Danny Garcia, welterweight titleholders Marcos Maidana and Shawn Porter, former welterweight titlists Adrien Broner and Devon Alexander, interim welterweight titlist Keith Thurman, junior welterweight contender Lucas Matthysse, junior featherweight titlist Leo Santa Cruz and top heavyweight prospect Deontay Wilder. All of them have earned career-high purses under the powerful Haymon’s guidance.

Other awards:

The Barney Nagler Long and Meritorious Service award to boxing was a tie between Top Rank publicist Lee Samuels and famed broadcaster Colonel Bob Sheridan.

The Sam Taub award for excellence in broadcast journalism went to former two-division titleholder Paulie Malignaggi, who is still an active fighter but has blossomed in his role as a color analyst on Showtime and Fox Sports 1 boxing telecasts.

The Marvin Kohn Good Guy award will be collected by ring announcer Jimmy Lennon, who was also inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in June.

Former welterweight titleholder Paul Williams, whose career end abruptly when he was paralyzed from the waist down in a motorcycle crash in 2012, has kept an inspiring upbeat attitude and was voted winner of the Bill Crawford award for courage in overcoming adversity.

In previously announced awards, this writer was voted winner of the 2013 Nat Fleischer award for excellence in boxing journalism, a career achievement award that can only won once and is voted on by past winners, and Sandy Grady was selected as the A.J. Liebling award winner for outstanding boxing writing.

Winners will be honored at the BWAA annual awards banquet, which will take place in May or June at a site to be determined.

NEW YORK (January 25, 2014) – Bob Arum and Todd duBoef, CEO and President of Top Rank, respectively, and Michael Koncz of MP Promotions are pleased to announce that an agreement was reached today for undefeated two-division world champion TIMOTHY “Desert Storm” BRADLEY to defend his World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title against Fighter of the Decade Congressman MANNY “Pacman” PACQUIAO. Promoted by Top Rank®, in association with MP Promotions and Tecate, 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.

Both fighters and their teams will embark on a U.S. media tour the week of February 3, including press conferences in Los Angeles and New York on Tuesday, February 4 and Thursday, February 6, respectively. Ticket information and other details on the promotion and the media tour will be released shortly.

When Pacquiao and Bradley rumbled the first time, on June 9, 2012 at the 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.

Pacquiao (55-5-2, 38 KOs), the lone congressional representative from the Sarangani province in the Philippines (he was reelected to a second term, running unopposed last year), is the only fighter to win eight world titles in as many different weight divisions. A three-time Fighter of the Year and the Boxing Writers Association of America’s “Fighter of the Decade,” Pacquiao’s resumé features victories over future Hall of Famers, including Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, Miguel Cotto, Shane Mosley and Juan Manuel Márquez. From 2008 to 2010, five of his seven victories were world title victories in five different weight classes, from 130 to 154 pounds. No active boxer has sold more live tickets in the U.S. than Pacquiao, who is also credited with over eight million pay-per-view buys. He returns to the ring after a scintillating beatdown of former world champion Brandon Rios.

Bradley (31-0, 12 KOs), from Palm Springs, Calif., a two-division world champion who unified the junior welterweight titles twice during his previous four-year reign, returns to the ring after three consecutive career-best victories. After moving up in weight and beating Pacquiao in 2012, Bradley co-starred in the 2013 Fight of the Year last March, winning a brutal 12-round decision over Ruslan Provodnikov though Bradley was suffering from a concussion throughout most of the fight. In his most recent fight, in October, Bradley gave a virtuoso performance in defeating three-division world champion and Mexican icon Juan Manuel Márquez proving that Bradley is indeed one of boxing’s elite pound for pound fighters.

Editor’s note: For part 1, please click here.

The seven-day stretch in mid October that began the Saturday Timothy “Desert Storm” Bradley decisioned Juan Manuel “Dinamita” Marquez found contrasting studies of how pain is treated, how humiliation is considered, and how vulnerability is concealed or exploited otherwise. Bradley, capable as any prizefighter of emoting when asked a fair question, showed no vulnerability to Marquez, striking instead an uncharacteristically arrogant mien, one intended to disarm boxing’s apex predator. And it worked insofar as Marquez found nary an opening, geometrical, physical or psychological – nary a fissure in Bradley’s expressive countenance, a dark and intense face on a head he self-deprecatingly calls too large (when not driving it in opponents’ chins or foreheads).

Ruslan Provodnikov and Mike Alvarado both admitted, in a wondrous for rare bit of prefight candor, they were afraid of being badly hurt or killed in a prizefight, the sort of concession Bradley might make privately but Marquez was and ever will be incapable of making – for reasons cultural, traditional and perhaps biological. After Provodnikov laid waste to Alvarado, though, one almost wondered if the Russian possessed actually a fraction the empathy of his prefight demeanor, if he didn’t, at least for a 48-minute stretch a couple times each year, cease seeing men set across from him as fellow sons/brothers/fathers/friends and merely sides of beef that, curiously enough, could be made to emit whimpering sounds when knuckled just right.

*

The seven-day stretch in mid October that began the Saturday Timothy “Desert Storm” Bradley decisioned Juan Manuel “Dinamita” Marquez showed that if one puts away his prejudices and looks often and close enough at art of any kind, from its finest manifestations in Rembrandt or Velazquez to its fallenest manifestations in pornography like Stagliano’s, he finds wonderment and originality, he finds better men than himself treating troubles like his own, and he finds, desperately and essentially, a form of solace.

If Andy Warhol and Fernando Botero had little in common, they had an uncommon sense of color, even for visual artists, to unite them along art’s rocky sort of continuum, and it was a sense of color Warhol quite possibly permitted Botero to use some years later, for as much as the Colombian credits his influences to Pablo Picasso it remains true that Picasso, intellectual always before beautiful and cynical always and always, appears less in the vibrancy of Botero’s paintings than does Pittsburgh’s father of fashion art.

If DAM’s shape was ostentatious, finally, its structure comprised none of the conspicuous consuming that is modern America’s specialty; it was Libeskind’s proper recognition that while largeness of scale assures no greatness, architectural greatness often does desire awesomeness.

*

The seven-day stretch in mid October that began the Saturday Timothy “Desert Storm” Bradley decisioned Juan Manuel “Dinamita” Marquez brought a celebratory air for Provodnikov and Bradley, men who made an incredible spectacle with one another seven months before, bringing them finally the victories both deserved, and with those victories a codification of their status in prizefighting’s impassioned, subjective, weird, hyperbolic ratings, an ongoing appeal to orderliness that proves man must have hierarchy even when he hasn’t an inkling why.

The clarity of Colorado’s air sets its vistas in a visual space that might better be called hyper-definition than high-definition, akin to the early HDTVs with whites that blitzed viewers and induced aching brains if not temporary blindness, and when one exits the western mouth of Eisenhower Tunnel, a blossoming of sun-reflected snowy whiteness after 1 1/2 miles of gray darkness, he wonders aloud if this mightn’t be the sole place in the world a visual experience of such arresting magnitude can happen.

Mike Alvarado, the Coloradoan who lost on his stool against Ruslan Provodnikov that Saturday night in an unlikely suburb north-northwest of Denver, wore open and suppurating facial lacerations to camp for his March rematch with Brandon Rios, lacerations courtesy of a mishap with his flesh and shards of a glass bottle and at least one other man’s rage, and reminded those who followed his career how unlikely a happy ending will be for “Mile High.” A reminder that came once more, two hours after the main event in Broomfield, when I returned to Ramada Denver Midtown, a recently re-acquired and -signaged property, luxurious 30 years and gaggles of property managers ago, where the frontdesk attendant, young, pretty, edgy, pierced – Denverstyle – told me: “Alvarado? I know Mike! My friends partied with him.”

*

The seven-day stretch in mid October that began the Saturday Timothy “Desert Storm” Bradley decisioned Juan Manuel “Dinamita” Marquez made Marquez once more threaten retirement, once more price his way out a lucrative rematch with Manny Pacquiao, once more remind his adorers genius is divisive, not unifying or transferable, and a force that renders a man like Marquez many more times admirable than likable, a man to observe and delight-in but never invite for a beer.

Timothy Bradley ended 2013 finally esteemed like a man with his resume should, regardless of what bigotry aficionados routinely show volume punchers. Ruslan Provodnikov appeared in a California ring across from Bradley in March a wholly unknown entity and finished October as the third piece of a triumvirate of former-Soviet fighters now used to scare disobedient young boxers before bedtime: “GGG”, “Krusher”, “Siberian Rocky”.

Mike Alvarado, finally, found what solace might be had from an adoring hometown, a prudent choice, and a vindicating fulfillment of what natural gifts oddsmakers long had him tragically wasting.

And I had the great good fortune of more time spent within our craft’s fraternity, both in Nevada and Colorado, a fraternity that, at its best, is a mutual-admiration society.

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