Rumors are swirling that Manny Pacquiao may get a rematch vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2016, but after suffering a torn labrum and missing almost a year of action, Pacquiao will likely need to take another fight before facing "Money" again.
WBO welterweight champ Timothy Bradley may be just the guy. Mayweather won Pacquiao's title, but eventually vacated it when he failed to pay the sanctioning fee; Bradley took advantage of the vacancy by beating Jessie Vargas and claiming it. Having already fought Pacquiao twice, it makes sense that he and Bradley face off one more time to settle the score.
"They went at it twice and you know they had controversy in the first one and he beat him the second time. Tim put up a hell of a fight in the second fight and Bradley-Pacquiao 2 was a more exciting fight than Mayweather-Pacquiao. I don't see why not go for a third one. I mean, Pacquiao fought Marquez four times," Bradley's trainer Joel Diaz told On The Ropes Radio.
Diaz even mentioned that Bradley had said he expects Pacquiao to come after his belt if he ever won the WBO title.
"Anything can be possible, and don't get me wrong because Tim at one point in his career after he lost to Pacquiao the second fight he said, 'If I get that WBO title, Manny is going to come back to me again.' He doesn't doubt it, and I don't doubt it."
Bradley was reviled following his win over Pacquiao in their first bout because most observers felt Pacquiao had beaten him decisively. Since then Bradley has forged a new image of himself as a warrior and one of boxing's most entertaining fighters. He also remains one of the most skilled fighters in the game, and would be a stiff test for Pacquiao coming off a long layoff.
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