LA Times: Not so fast, my friend — Pacquaio Bradley rematch not a sure thing

Lance Pugmire of the LA Times has some interesting quotes from Bob Arum and Manny Pacquiao.  The only problem is that he seems to be swallowing whole something from Arum that seems to be transparently a negotiating ploy in which he is putting it “out there” that ticket brokers don’t know if they can sell tickets to a Pacquiao-Bradley II because everyone believes Pacquiao thoroughly dominated Bradley.  Come on, Bob — really?

A Pacquiao-Bradley rematch?  Not so Fast

by Lance Pugmire for the LA Times

LAS VEGAS — Manny Pacquiao reserved a contractual right to request a rematch against Palm Springs’ Timothy Bradley if he lost Saturday.

And even though Pacquiao was left stunned by a split-decision defeat in which two of three judges awarded Bradley a 115-113 victory, it’s not a given that the pair will reunite in November.

Fight promoter Bob Arum said after the bout that he heard from ticket brokers who said they would have trouble selling seats to a Bradley rematch because most fight watchers considered the World Boxing Organization welterweight title bout on Saturday at the MGM Grand a one-sided Pacquiao victory.

“The brokers are telling us if we make a Bradley rematch, no one will go,” Arum said.

Todd duBoef, president of Arum’s Top Rank promotional company, said he’d like to see the results of polls asking fans if they want a rematch before committing to a second fight.

Veering from Bradley would deny him another major purse after he earned $5 million against Pacquiao. Bradley manager Cameron Dunkin said following Saturday night’s fight that he would expect a rematch purse to be “something near” $10 million now that Bradley has the belt.

So there’s some leveraging going on too.

Pacquiao’s alternatives would be another run atFloyd Mayweather Jr., who’s due for release from Clark County (Nev.) jail on a domestic-violence conviction in August, or a fourth fight against Juan Manuel Marquez.

Read the full article at the LA Times