Manny Pacquiao News: Timothy Bradley Believes Terence Crawford Has A 'Good Chance' Of Beating 'Pacman'
Reigning WBO welterweight champion Timothy Bradley is siding with undefeated world light welterweight champion Terence Crawford in a possible fight against eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao.
Crawford (27-0, with 19 victories by knockout), is one of the frontrunners to face "Pacman" in a fight scheduled for April 2016. According to Pacquiao, it will likely be his 66th and final professional fight, as he intends to put his full focus on public service in his home country of the Philippines.
Pacquiao is currently running for a Senatorial seat at the 2016 Philippine elections, which is set to take place in May. In an interview with Boxingscene.com, "Desert Storm" believes Crawford can actually emerge victorious against Pacquiao, if a fight between both men pushes through.
"I think Crawford has a very good chance of beating Manny Pacquiao," Bradley said. "We don't know how Manny Pacquiao is going to come back."
Pacquiao last saw action in May, in a highly anticipated 'mega fight' against undefeated welterweight great Floyd Mayweather Jr. The Filipino boxing icon lost the fight by unanimous decision, a result that was expected by many boxing spectators.
After the bout, it was reported that Pacquiao had injured his shoulder, specifically tearing his right rotator cuff. He immediately went to have surgery on the said injury, in which he now claims he is fully healed of. Bradley, on the other hand, has been added to the shortlist of Pacquiao's possible opponents after his own victory against former world champion Brandon Rios in early November.
And while he says he does welcome the idea of a Pacquiao vs. Crawford showdown, he is still eyeing for that rubber match.
"I wouldn't mind seeing a young lion get a shot at Pacquiao before Pacquiao leaves," Bradley said. "Terence Crawford is a good friend of mine and I would like to see him get that shot. But of course I would fight Pacquiao in a rubber match."