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Pacquiao-Bradley III: This One Will Be A Battle Of Wills More Than I & II

This Saturday night Manny Pacquiao 57-6-2 (38) and Timothy Bradley 33-1-1 (13) will meet for the third and no doubt final time. At stake will be the vacant WBO welterweight title, which is truly an afterthought between these two. Pacquiao and Bradley have fought 24 rounds against each other and Manny probably holds the edge 15-9. Neither has been able to knock the other off his feet nor has one had the other in real trouble or significantly hurt. Bradley won the first fight in 2012 via a controversial 12-round split decision and 22 months later Pacquiao exacted revenge and bettered Bradley during rounds 13-24 and won by unanimous decision.
Bradley, 32, is coming off of one of his better fights, having scored an impressive ninth-round TKO over rugged Brandon Rios who had never been stopped before in his career. It was Bradley’s first fight under the tutelage of trainer Teddy Atlas. And it just may be the influence of Atlas that tilts things in Bradley’s favor this time because it seems Atlas is inside of Timothy’s head and really has him believing in himself, something Bradley will have to rely on during those moments when Pacquiao is really coming after him.
Pacquiao, 37, will be fighting for the first time since having rotator cuff shoulder surgery a few days after his unanimous decision loss to Floyd Mayweather last May. And you better believe Manny will be looking to re-establish his name after his less than inspired showing versus Mayweather. A stoppage win over the durable Bradley will go a long way in doing that. Especially after the way Floyd controlled the action against Pacquiao by moving just enough to disrupt his spacing, aggression and timing. Something you can count on Atlas drilling into Timothy’s head pertaining to how he must fight Pacquiao this time without the slightest deviation.
If there ever was any doubt in regards to Bradley’s intentions this Saturday night….listen to Atlas:
“I always felt Manny wins his fights because of God given talent, speed and power, Atlas said.”He also brings a great pride into the ring, and that combination is what makes him great.
“We look at Manny and we say how athletic he is, but nobody ever sees that in Tim and they’re wrong. What we need to do is to give Tim’s athleticism a chance. He has always been defined by toughness, but this fight is all about tempo and rhythm, and I don’t think that Tim could be as tough as he is if he didn’t have character.”
Atlas says he wants to give Tim’s athleticism a chance. Translation….Bradley will be looking to use his feet and legs to get in and get out with the intent of blunting Pacquiao’s aggression. This isn’t news; the book on Manny is that he is susceptible to being out-boxed. The key for Bradley will be if he can stay harnessed and fight the temptation of going into the trenches with Pacquiao when Pacquiao nails him with something big and senses he’s there for the taking. Bradley will have to remember that going in to one-up Pacquiao is very dangerous and gives Manny what he wants.
There’s no way in the world Bradley can best Pacquiao by trying to fight it out with him, and Pacquiao and trainer Freddie Roach know it. Manny is not a bell-to-bell pursuer and he doesn’t cut the ring off that well against fighters who have quick feet. So he’ll be trying to draw Bradley into exchanges, and when Bradley doesn’t oblige him, he’ll have to force him to use his legs for defense and not getting off in spurts and flurries. The onus will be on Pacquiao in a big way to make Bradley open up and engage him….and if he can’t do that he has to nullify the sporadic runs Bradley is going to make in order to steal rounds.
Pacquiao has a tactical advantage for sure this time in knowing that no matter what, Bradley isn’t thinking about winning by stoppage because it’s too risky for him to attempt it. The presence of Atlas has all but assured that. Bradley said the big difference for him in the two previous fights was the game plan for the rematch.
“It was flawed. I went in there thinking I had to knock him out instead of out-boxing him like I did in the first fight. We figured the judges weren’t going to give us a break after what happened the first time.”
The rubber match between Pacquiao and Bradley isn’t as anticipated as the two previous bouts between them. However, if there ever was a fight in which we knew the game plan and what each combatant will be intent on trying to do, it’s Pacquiao-Bradley III.
When the bell rings for the first round, you can bet the house that Pacquiao will be doing everything that he was unsuccessful in doing against Mayweather….and that’s roughing up Tim Bradley at every turn and forcing Timothy to have to fight him off. Manny will be trying to make Bradley fight it out with him. And Pacquiao has the luxury of knowing for an almost certainty that Bradley will not be trying to impose himself physically; no, he’ll be looking to box, set up shop for short bursts, and then get out. It’s interesting that, although Bradley is the physically stronger guy, he has to resist utilizing strength against strength, which would allow Pacquiao to fire shots in close. Because Roach will be imploring Manny to do everything he can to drag Bradley into a street fight.
I’m not sure how action packed or exciting Pacquiao vs. Bradley III will be. However, watching Manny and Timothy trying to force the other to do what he doesn’t want to do in a stern test of wills – could be very intriguing for rounds 25-36. One guy wants to fight and go to war, the other wants to box and pick his spots. It’s the ultimate style clash.
Frank Lotierzo can be contacted at GlovedFist@Gmail.com
Check out The Boxing Channel video “Paulie Malignaggi Breaks Down Manny Pacquiao vs Timothy Bradley 3”.
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Argentina’s Fernando Martinez Wins His Rematch with Kazuto Ioka

In an excellent fight climaxed by a furious 12th round, Argentina’s Fernando Daniel Martinez came off the deck to win his rematch with Kazuto Ioka and retain his piece of the world 115-pound title. The match was staged at Ioka’s familiar stomping grounds, the Ota-City General Gymnasium in Tokyo.
In their first meeting on July 7 of last year in Tokyo, Martinez was returned the winner on scores of 117-111, 116-112, and a bizarre 120-108. The rematch was slated for late December, but Martinez took ill a few hours before the weigh-in and the bout was postponed.
The 33-year-old Martinez, who came in sporting a 17-0 (9) record, was a 7-2 favorite to win the sequel, but there were plenty of reasons to favor Ioka, 36, aside from his home field advantage. The first Japanese male fighter to win world titles in four weight classes, Ioka was 3-0 in rematches and his long-time trainer Ismael Salas was on a nice roll. Salas was 2-0 last weekend in Times Square, having handled upset-maker Rolly Romero and Reito Tsutsumi who was making his pro debut.
But the fourth time was not a charm for Ioka (31-4-1) who seemingly pulled the fight out of the fire in round 10 when he pitched the Argentine to the canvas with a pair of left hooks, but then wasn’t able to capitalize on the momentum swing.
Martinez set a fast pace and had Ioka fighting off his back foot for much of the fight. Beginning in round seven, Martinez looked fatigued, but the Argentine was conserving his energy for the championship rounds. In the end, he won the bout on all three cards: 114-113, 116-112, 117-110.
Up next for Fernando Martinez may be a date with fellow unbeaten Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez, the lineal champion at 115. San Antonio’s Rodriguez is a huge favorite to keep his title when he defends against South Africa’s obscure Phumelela Cafu on July 19 in Frisco, Texas.
As for Ioka, had he won today’s rematch, that may have gotten him over the hump in so far as making it into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. True, winning titles in four weight classes is no great shakes when the bookends are only 10 pounds apart, but Ioka is still a worthy candidate.
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Emanuel Navarrete Survives a Bloody Battle with Charly Suarez in San Diego

In a torrid battle Mexico’s Emanuel “Vaquero” Navarrete and his staccato attack staved off the herky-jerky non-stop assaults of Philippine’s Charly Suarez to win by technical decision and retain the WBO super feather world title on Saturday.
What do they feed these guys?
Navarrete (40-2-1, 32 KOs) and his elongated arms managed to connect enough to compensate against the surprising Suarez (18-1, 10 KOs) who wowed the crowd at Pechanga Arena in San Diego.
An accidental clash of heads opened a cut on the side of Navarrete’s left eye and forced a stoppage midway through the fight.
From the opening round Navarrete used his windmill style of attack with punches from different angles that caught Suarez multiple times early. It did not matter. Suarez fired back with impunity and was just as hungry to punch it out with the Mexican fighter.
It was savage.
Every time Navarrete connected solidly, he seemed to pause and check out the damage. Bad idea. Suarez would immediately counter with bombs of his own and surprise the champion with his resilience and tenacity.
Wherever they found Suarez they should look for more, because the Filipino fighter from Manila was ferocious and never out of his depth.
Around the sixth round the Mexican fighter seemed a little drained and puzzled at the tireless attacks coming from Suarez. During an exchange of blows a cut opened up on Navarrete and it was ruled an accidental clash of heads by the referee. Blood streamed down the side of Navarrete’s face and it was cleared by the ringside physician.
But at the opening of the eighth round, the fight was stopped and the ringside physician ruled the cut was too bad to continue. The California State Athletic Commission looked at tape of the round when the cut opened to decipher if it was an accidental butt or a punch that caused the cut. It was unclear so the referee’s call of accidental clash of heads stood as the final ruling.
Score cards from the judges saw Navarrete the winner by scores of 78-75, 77-76 twice. He retains the WBO title.
Interim IBF Lightweight Title
The sharp-shooting Raymond “Danger” Muratalla (23-0, 17 KOs) maneuvered past Russia’s Zaur Abdullaev (20-2, 12 KOs) by unanimous decision to win the interim IBF lightweight title after 12 rounds.
Both fighters were strategic in their approach with Muratalla switching from orthodox to southpaw at various times of the fight. Neither fighter was ever able to dominant any round.
Defense proved the difference between the two lightweights. Muratalla was able to slip more blows than Abdullaev and that proved the difference. The fighter from Fontana, California was able to pierce Abdullaev’s guard more often than not, especially with counter punches.
Abdullaev was never out of the fight. The Russian fighter was able to change tactics and counter the counters midway through the fight. It proved effective especially to the body. But it was not enough to offset Muratalla’s accuracy.
There were no knockdowns and after 12 rounds the judges scored it 118-110, 119-109 twice for Muratalla who now becomes the mandatory for the IBF lightweight title should Vasyl Lomachenko return to defend it.
Muratalla was brief.
“He was a tough fighter,” said Muratalla. “My defense is something I work on a lot.”
Perla Wins
Super flyweight Perla Bazaldua (2-0) eased past Mona Ward (0-2) with a polished display of fighting at length and inside.
Combination punching and defense allowed Bazaldua to punch in-between Ward’s attacks and force the St. Louis fighter to clinch repeatedly. But Ward hung in there despite taking a lot of blows. After four rounds the Los Angeles-based Bazaldua was scored the winner 40-36 on all three cards. Bazaldua signed a long term contract with Top Rank in March.
Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank
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Late Bloomer Anthony Cacace TKOs Hometown Favorite Leigh Wood in Nottingham

Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions was at Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham, England, tonight with a card featuring hometown favorite Leigh Wood against Ireland’s Anthony “Apache” Cacace.
Wood, a former two-time WBA featherweight champion, known for dramatic comebacks in bouts he was losing, may have reached the end of the road at age 36. He had his moments tonight, rocking Cacace on several occasions and winning the eighth round, but he paid the price, returning to his corner after round eight with swelling around both of his eyes.
In the ninth, Cacace, an 11/5 favorite, hurt Wood twice with left hands, the second of which knocked Wood into the ropes, dictating a standing 8-count by referee John Latham. When the bout resumed, Cacace went for the kill and battered Wood around the ring, forcing Wood’s trainer Ben Davison to throw in the towel. The official time was 2:15 of round nine.
Akin to Wood, Northern Ireland’s Cacace (24-1, 9 KOs) is also 36 years old and known as a late bloomer. This was his ninth straight win going back to 2017 (he missed all of 2018 and 2020). He formerly held the IBF 130-pound world title, a diadem he won with a stoppage of then-undefeated and heavily favored Joe Cordina, but that belt wasn’t at stake tonight as Cacace abandoned it rather than fulfill his less-lucrative mandatory. Wood falls to 28-4.
Semi-Wind-Up
Nottingham light heavyweight Ezra Taylor, fighting in his hometown for the first time since pro debut, delighted his fan base with a comprehensive 10-round decision over previously undefeated Troy Jones. Taylor, who improved to 12-0 (9) won by scores of 100-90, 99-91, and 98-92.
This was Taylor’s first fight with new trainer Malik Scott, best known for his work with Deontay Wilder. The victory may have earned him a match with Commonwealth title-holder Lewis Edmondson. Jones was 12-0 heading in.
Other Bouts of Note
In his first fight as a featherweight, Liam Davies rebounded from his first defeat with a 12-round unanimous decision over Northern Ireland’s previously undefeated Kurt Walker. Davies, who improved to 17-1 (8), staved off a late rally to prevail on scores of 115-113, 116-112, and 117-111. It was the first pro loss for the 30-year-old Walker (12-1), a Tokyo Olympian.
In a mild upset, Owen Cooper, a saucy Worcestershire man, won a 10-round decision over former Josh Taylor stablemate Chris Kongo. The referee’s scorecard read 96-94.
Cooper improved to 11-1 (4). It was the third loss in 20 starts for Kongo.
A non-televised 8-rounder featured junior welterweight Sam Noakes in a stay-busy fight. A roofer by trade and the brother of British welterweight title-holder Sean Noakes, Sam improved to 17-0 (15 KOs) with a third-round stoppage of overmatched Czech import Patrik Balez (13-5-1).
Photo credit: Leigh Dawney / Queensberry
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