Manny Pacquiao Next Fight: 'Pacman's' Adviser Explains Why Bradley Was Chosen As Opponent
Manny Pacquiao's personal adviser Michael Koncz has recently gone on record to explain why they chose WBO welterweight champion Timothy Bradley as their next opponent.
"Desert Storm" was selected among a shortlist of candidates, which included the names of Pacquiao's former sparring partner Amir Khan and undefeated WBO light welterweight champion Terence Crawford.
At one point, four-division world champion and Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s "little brother" Adrien Broner was part of the list, but was immediately shut down by Top Rank head honcho Bob Arum, citing that it is not a fight that would be marketable enough.
The choice of Bradley for "Pacman's" 66th and final fight on April 9 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas was met with disappointment from boxing fans, particularly from Filipinos who were not pleased with how the two previous fights turned out.
The first meeting between Pacquiao and Bradley happened in June 2012, where the latter emerged victorious via a highly controversial split decision victory. In their rematch, however, Pacquiao was able to avenge the previous loss via a unanimous decision verdict, reclaiming the WBO 147-pound title belt in the process.
In a report by Steve Kim for Boxingscene, Koncz says the decision to pick Bradley as Pacquiao's final opponent was partially because they had run out of options for opponents. He added that it was the "best financial package" for Pacquiao, compared to Khan. Koncz says, "I even let him [Khan] know what we had to pay Bradley to fight in the hopes that he [Khan] may become more realistic in his purse."
"Again, my job is to do the best I can do for Manny and unfortunately whether the fans like it or not, that's in the financial aspect and that's what I did," Koncz explained in the Boxingscene report.
Bradley (33-1-1 with one no contest and 13 victories by knockout) last saw action in November against Brandon Rios. He won via a ninth round TKO.
