Pacquiao vs. Bradley 3: HBO's Harold Lederman Says Pacquiao Won't Retire After Fight, Thinks Bradley Could Knock Out Pacquiao
HBO Boxing analyst and former judge Harold Lederman shared his personal opinions regarding the upcoming rubber match between eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao and WBO welterweight champion Timothy Bradley.
Pacquiao and Bradley are slated to meet each other for the third time on April 9 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The said fight will also serve as Pacquiao's 66th and final professional boxing match, as he has decided to become a full-time politician in his home country of the Philippines.
"Pacman" has repeatedly stated his intent to finally retire after a 20-year professional career in recent interviews.
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However, a number of his close confidantes, namely his promoter Bob Arum and trainer Freddie Roach, do not believe that the Filipino boxing icon would be retiring after the Bradley fight. Apparently, even Lederman does not think so.
In a recent interview with Boxingscene, the 76-year old veteran analyst says money would be the main issue for Pacquiao to return. Lederman specifically took note of how Pacquiao usually shoulders the expenses of his entourage.
"I just think Manny's going to run out of money, and he needs some, and he'll make himself a quick $40 million by stepping into the ring for Top Rank like he normally does," Lederman said. "Bob Arum takes very good care of Manny, and Manny takes very good care of the 150 Filipinos that he hangs around with."
As for the actual fight, Lederman believes that a knockout victory is possible for both men. He did, however, make a bold declaration that "Desert Storm" is capable of stopping Pacquiao, like how Juan Manuel Marquez emphatically did during their fourth fight in 2012.
"If he catches Manny, it could be Manny versus Juan Manuel Marquez 4," Lederman said. Pacquiao's last stoppage victory came in 2009 against former middleweight world champion Miguel Cotto. Bradley, however, is coming off one, in a ninth round TKO against Brandon Rios in November.
