Freddie Roach: “Bradley has taken a lot of damage and I think that when Pacquiao hits him those fights will show up!”

23 Submitted by on Mon, 24 March 2014, 00:31

(Transcribed by Michael Readman) The rematch between Manny Pacquiao & Timothy Bradley was almost 2 years in the making, and both fighters traveled different roads since the controversy of the fight bout. Pacquiao followed the loss to Bradley by having an exciting 6 round war with long time rival Juan Manuel Marquez, which ended with him getting shockingly KO’d in the final seconds of the 6th round. After 11 months out, Pacquiao came back to defeat Brandon Rios, but the fight still left questions.

Timothy Bradley’s win over Pacquiao led to an all-time low that saw him get threats from fans, fall into depression, but ultimately comeback to the ring for a fight of the year war with Ruslan Provodnikov. Bradley followed that by defeating Juan Manuel Marquez via points, and established himself as a top 5 P4P fighter. With the rematch fast approaching, many wonder if the paths of both men will change the result.

In part 1 of my “On The Ropes” interview with Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach, I talk with him about the road to this rematch and if he feels the result will be any different the second time around. Roach also gives his thoughts on whether or not Pacquiao needs a knockout to win, and if he will fight the same as he did in his recent return against Brandon Rios. Additionally Freddie talks about Bradley’s two bouts since the Pacquiao fight and if he thinks Timothy has improved as a fighter since the first bout. Here is what Freddie Roach had to say.

Jenna J: Freddie, Manny Pacquiao will be having a rematch with Timothy Bradley on April 12th. How have the preparations been going so far?

Freddie Roach: Very well, we did a couple of weeks in The Philippines, that went well and now we’re back at the Wildcard and everything’s on schedule. He had a little bit of a cold yesterday but we got through it, he feels a lot better this morning. He’s gonna be one hundred percent for this fight I feel.

Jenna J: This is the fight that boxing fans actually wanted to see because there was so much controversy involving the first fight. How much did you want to see a second fight between Bradley and Pacquiao?

Freddie Roach: Well the first fight I thought we won pretty easily. But you know, since they gave Bradley the decision, you do have to avenge your losses, it’s something we have to do I think. We’re very motivated for this fight. Manny, after getting knocked out by Marquez took a year off and then looked really good in the (Brandon) Rios fight, I thought he fought a very smart fight and I expect that to carry over into this fight also.

Jenna J: Pacquiao has been working with various sparring partners, including Lydell Rhodes. What kind of sparring have you tried to get him to prepare him for Bradley this time around?

Freddie Roach: Well you know, we got guys that are running a little bit, boxing, and we got guys that are coming to us because Bradley does like to exchange at times, but since he had success boxing in his last fight, usually that carries over into the next fight.

Against Marquez he boxed very well and I feel he’s gonna try to out box us but when he gets hit he does like to fight back and that’s what we’re using the guys like Lydell for their punching power and so forth. We’ve got five different sparring partners with five different styles and they all do what Bradley does and he will be one hundred percent ready by fight time.

Jenna J: Freddie, the last fight that Pacquiao had with Brandon Rios, a lot of people watched the fight and thought he looked good but they also thought he was a little bit careful. Do you think that he didn’t take as many chances as he maybe should have in trying to get Rios out of there?

Freddie Roach: Well you know, in the previous fight he went for the KO and he walked into a shot, so he was a little bit more careful and smarter this time. I thought it was a perfect fight because he won every round. He didn’t knock the guy out but he did win every round, 12-0 it was a complete shut-out and I wish Max Kellerman had told Rios that he is a punching bag in that fight, that’s the way it looked to me.

Jenna J: Going into the rematch with Timothy Bradley, I’m sure Pacquiao doesn’t want any controversy again. Does he feel any extra pressure to go for the KO and to not leave it in the judges’ hands?

Freddie Roach: Yeah, the thing is you can’t look for knockouts and we know that, that’s not how knockouts come. We are prepared to go out there and fight three minutes of every round and fight with combinations like he did against Rios and be a lot busier than he has been in the past.

We have to be a little bit more aggressive, we know that, but the thing is we’re not going in there looking for the knockout. If the knockout comes, it comes, if it doesn’t, we’ll be happy with pitching a shutout.

Jenna J: You had two back to back fights training fighters to face Timothy Bradley, the second one being Ruslan Provodnikov. You’ve seen Bradley’s two fights since his fight with Pacquiao, do you think he is a better fighter now than he was the first time?

Freddie Roach: No, I think he’s taken a lot of damage in the Ruslan fight he fought with a concussion — he said for 9 rounds. That can’t be good for you, he took a lot of big shots in that fight. I think that when Pacquiao hits him those fights will show up. The thing is, getting hit is not a good thing and he got hit a lot in that fight.

Jenna J: Do you think Bradley gained extra confidence from beating Marquez?

Freddie Roach: Well, Marquez didn’t look that good in that fight. He must have got off his weight lifting program because he was very small. He looked really ordinary in that fight and I think he got Marquez at the right time, because I think he’s all done.

Stay tuned to ontheropesboxing.com for part 2 of the Freddie Roach interview

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23 Responses to "Freddie Roach: “Bradley has taken a lot of damage and I think that when Pacquiao hits him those fights will show up!”"
  1. Sonny of Sydney says:

    Tim Butteley was having nightmares since the 1st fight – he KNOWS he LOST that fight badly, the wife, father , trainer and manager KNOWS he lost that fight. NO concoction of lies after would not sbsolve him. Come 2nd fight, he WOULD NOT fight TOE to TOE vs Pac ’cause he felt the punching power of Pac, much stronger than Ruslan. He will not dare to trade punches as he knows Pac has various angles and faster than him. he is only forced to fight SECOND time for the MONEY. You bet all your available funds for PAC – SURE money FOLKS he he he – take it from Sonny of Sydney! Pweh!

    • Jerry Lynch (not related to the writer) says:

      I know Bradley lost. You know Bradley lost. Most of the world knows Bradley lost. Bradley did not create the score cards so you, and others, need to get off his ass. He did a good job and the judges must have been blind, but there is no reason to get all in Bradley’s face mover the decision. I believe that Pacman will do a job on him this time around, but nobody should ever ridicule bradley or threaten him for that decision.

    • jame duncan says:

      I reviewed tapes of Bradleys toe to toe with Ruslan and Marquez. He go really got that speed and

      • jame duncan says:

        I reviewed tapes of Bradleys toe to toe fight with Ruslan and Marquez.Bradleys got that punching speed and defense. But he got no power as well. His toe to toe fight has no power after all.Just like when you want to only score points is what counts a lot. IN fact, it is Ruslan whose got more power than Bradley when he hit him with power shots.When he says the only way Pacman could beat him is when Pac knock him out. That’s wrong dude. This time around is different.He only won by controversial judges decision during their 1st bout. IN this 2nd fight, judges are more careful though. If he lasted 12 rounds with Pacman, at the end of the bout it is Pacman who’s gonna raise his hand and not Bradley. Why? because he can\t last toe to toe with Pacman.He knew Pac was so fast that he can’t stand his toe to toe speed thats why he’s more of a counter puncher and often run away from Pacman. So how could you win like that?Boxing is about winning by points/score/knock-out and not running.

  2. Mateng says:

    Bradley knows that pacquiao will go all out on this fight, that’s why he’s playing mind games. Trying to psych pacman that he’s ready to go to war with the best pacquiao, hoping that pacman will think twice in going all out. Unfortunately it’s not working, so now he’s saying he won’t take a bath until after training is over, again he’s thinking pacman will ease up because he smell so bad. Come fight night ,Bradley will take a shower of punches and his big head will be much bigger even before the final bell ,that he won’t be able to stand up, and he won’t be needing a wheelchair this time but a stretcher. All your bluffs will be called, Bradley went all in with the worst cards, he will pay big time.

  3. Jowo says:

    I love the sarcasm of Freddie Roach in describing Marquez’s weight training program. He’s actually saying he wasn’t on PEDS during the Bradley fight on why he lost.

    • Terrence juan says:

      We all know that.. ain’t nobody can beat pacman.. pacman even knows that mmj was on it.

    • Sonny Marks says:

      PAC will attack the first 2 rounds. If Bradley wobbles , he’s going for the kill. Bradley will try to stick and move to avoid the power punches and combos. PAc may mix it up boxing him for the next couple of rounds if the KO will not happen yet. Then Pac’s corner will instruct himto go and score points until he hurts Bradley again. I predict TKO somewhere around 8 or 9th round for PAC.

    • youidiot says:

      PEDs! PEDS PEDs PEDS!!!!! … just a paranoid fantasy tho!

  4. cjross says:

    duh

  5. erap says:

    The curtain’s closing on you Tim. Bye bye 0.

  6. Barry Gil R. Pilar says:

    ….tim talks a lot even claiming that he was the legit victOr over manny 8 to 4 last time they fought, this time it could be dangerous for him because if pacquiao is highly motivated then there will certainly be hell inside the ring. Tim thinks that the only way manny could beat him is to knock him out, SO BE IT….I just hope he doesn’t run!..

  7. Iriga city boy says:

    A well conditioned,stamina equipped,speedy,and shifty attacking,and not callous but thinking Pacquiao
    will spell doom for the cocky Bradley.
    Again,”a big CAVEAT”:
    Pacquiao,don’t ever get tired on the later part of this rumble. Or this man(Bradley) will eke out again a
    “Whisker” of a decision.It must be a 180 second assault per round to topple Mt.Bradley,not the piecemeal,installment ,pedal off laden first fight.
    3 more weeks to go,and I will cross my fingers that the Team Pacquiao had been duly informed of the concerns(stamina and conditioning).Be serious and focused.

  8. eths says:

    Roach is playing mind games to get under Bradley’s skin. In one of the interviews, he admitted that Bradley improved a lot in the Marquez fight. And in another one, he said that a Bradley rematch will be difficult so he prefers a come-forward fighter. Truths is, PAC fans, don’t underestimate Bradley’s power as I’ve seen him stun Marquez at least twice and he was able to hurt Provodnikov and keep him at bay on some occasions. He was able to tire Pacquiao with his body punches which was evident after the 6th round. His power is underrated. Truth is, he is a 180 lber small guy who is able to go down to Jr. Welter or welterweight division thru sheer hard work. That explains his decent power. So to say he is pillow-fisted doesn’t make sense at all. Otherwise, he would not have maintained a zero on his “loss” column.

    • iriga city boy says:

      To Eths:
      Brother,It was an overconfident Pacquiao who was in front of your hero(Bradley) on that first tussle.
      When Pacquiao disciplines himself and get focused,he is a very,very good boxer.I observe that sometimes fame and stubborness get into his boxing life.And distractions.
      I don’t think ,Bradley won that fight.It was reviewed by independent judges(5 of them).Pacquiao was vindicated.Won barely, in my opinion.
      But there was no way ,Bradley won that.You can cut it crosswise,lenghtwise,perpendicular,or vertical.No Way.
      That loaned belt to Bradley will be returned to the Filipino on April 12, 2014.Bradley had a “15 minute fame syndrome”,as Andy Warhol opined.
      Only chance for Bradley to hold on to the crown is, if Pacquiao gets tired on the 2nd phase of the fight.
      If Pacquiao has that packed reserve battery intact on the latter rounds ,your hero will be in “Deep Kimche”.That “5 days no bath” ritual and strategy your hero brings to the fight, won’t matter.It’s a psyche job.
      He can stink like a dung,but Pacquiao will connect.

  9. Pillow puncher just means he really doesn’t have a knockout power to knock people ouT. Nobody is saying his punches doesn’t sting either. Hell, I’m not a boxer but if I can time my punch really perfectly I can hurt anyone. The point is, Tim, did not had that chance the first time and he will not have get it this time, either therefore the punches that he will be able to land will not be stinging punches but pillow punches.

  10. jess says:

    Freddie was correct in saying that the reason why Bradley was on a wheel chair after the fight was the pain he suffered from Pacquiao’s punches that ran through out his body including his legs & feet. Bradley knows this but as the new king of denial in boxing he does not admit this. Another thing that he will never admit is that he really lost the fight to Pacquiao. His only objective in his next fight with Pacquiao is to collect a huge retirement pay in the form of his prize money. Come on guys, Pacquiao skills & talent are still too far from Bradley. You will see!

  11. pej says:

    The reason why Bradley had two legs broken is from contorting his body to avoid punches. I have never seen a fighters torso go west, east, north and south just to avoid punch

  12. Barok says:

    Roach cannot say it bluntly lest he might get sued by Marquez. Before the fight with Marquez, Freddie was complaining that if Marquez ripped muscles are natural Freddie will kiss his ass. What Freddie is insinuating really in saying that Marquez looked very small and ordinary is that Marquez was not on PEDS. I wonder why this Memo Heredia is still walking around and training athletes. This guy should be in jail and not walking around bragging that he can beat any drug test. When Pac fights Marquez for the 5th time, Pac will insist on VADA testing. I hope Victor Conte catches Memo Heredia peddling PEDS again so that he can send Memo to jail. Remember, Memo sent Victor to jail and this will be the best opportunity for Victor to get even with Memo.

  13. Fred says:

    I gained respect for Herrera as well, but, I think people are over compensating for overlooking him.
    I mean, you had it 115-113, which is super close. It does not mean he was robbed and should currently be the champ, it means the fight was close and could have gone either way.

    I’ll tell you what? You put together a highlight video of all these “great shots” Herrera was landing. I think this will open up lots of eyes as to what was happening in there, which was that Herrera was letting his hands go a lot, but, not really landing most of the time. Yes, he landed some shots and did some good work, but, the the HBO team was calling lots of combos and when you slow them down, they were missing the mark completely. Don’t take my word for it, go back and look at the fight.

    All this “robbery” talk is ruining the reality of the situation, which is that this was way better fight then people thought it would be, and that Herrera is not to be taken lightly.