Pacquiao to face Bradley 3rd time on April 9

Pacquiao is set to fight on a third time on April 9 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas in the main event of an HBO PPV card.

Timothy Bradley Jr. fired career-long trainer Joel Diaz in the fall and convinced Atlas to take over his training. In their first fight together, Bradley looked very sharp in a title defense against an ill-prepared Brandon Rios, whom he knocked out in the ninth round of a one-sided fight on Nov. 7.

Pacquiao (57-6-2, 38 KOs), who turned 37 on Dec. 17, and Bradley (33-1-1, 13 KOs), 32, of Palm Springs, California, have already split a pair of welterweight title fights, both of which were also at the MGM Grand.

After Manny Pacquiao loss to Mayweather, Pacquiao revealed he had been hampered by a shoulder injury and since undergone surgery. Manny stated on a Facebook Q&A “Good. I’m 100% ready to go now.”

In June 2012, Bradley claimed a split-decision win in one of the most controversial decisions in boxing history. While Duane Ford and C.J. Ross, both of whom no longer judge, gave the fight to Bradley, nearly everybody saw Pacquiao as the clear winner. The result was so controversial that there it spawned multiple investigations.

In the April 2014 rematch, Pacquiao won a lopsided unanimous decision as he dominated the fight just as many believed he had done the first time.

Top Rank promotor Bob Arum said that he has deals with both fighters and that he closed with Pacquiao. Pacquiao was advanced a wiring of $2 million. Michael Koncz cleared everything with Manny and sent out the advance money to seal the deal.