Boxing superstar Amir Khan shared his thoughts with Primetime ahead of Saturday night’s super-fight between Manny Pacquiao and Tim Bradley.
The former unified light-welterweight champion knows both fighters well, check out what he has to say about the eagerly anticipated world title clash.
Pacquiao vs. Bradley will be shown live on Primetime, Channel 480 on Sky and Virgin On Demand, this Saturday night for only £14.95. Visit www.primetimelive.co.uk or ring 0871 200 4444.
On Pacquiao-Bradley
“I’m always going to back my training partner Manny Pacquiao in this fight because he’s been in with better competition and reigned for such a long time. I think Manny will win the fight but don’t get me wrong it’s going to be a tough fight. I don’t think Manny will knock him out I feel it’s going to go the distance because Bradley is tough. There’s no doubt Bradley will come to fight, seeing him train on HBO 24/7 he seems focused and confident and he’ll go in there wanting to win.”
“Manny’s not performed at his best in his last few fights so that might be on Bradley’s side and he could use that to his advantage. No matter what, it’s going to be an electrifying fight and one of those tough and crazy fights that boxing fans want to see. I’m looking forward to it as we offered Bradley the fight twice and he turned it down so I’m hoping my teammate can beat him for me in a way.”
Toe-to-toe
“It will be a tough fight and a toe-to-toe scrap at times. Both guys can fight, and they like to fight, they throw a lot of shots and have great fitness. It will be a matchup that people love to see and fans will be on the edge of their seats, it will be an exciting fight no matter what because you have two guys that are in their prime and are hungry for the win. Manny won’t want to lose his pound-for-pound title and Bradley wants to move up and make a statement.
“I don’t think Bradley will be the same fighter at 147 as he was at 140. He thinks he’s a better fighter at 147 which I don’t thinks the case because he doesn’t have the power to knock Manny Pacquiao out or any other fighter at that weight. But he will cause a problem in the fight because he has a great engine, work rate and likes to keep coming forward.”
On Manny’s training
“Manny always trains hard, I was out in the Philippines with him when I was training for my rematch with Peterson. Manny is always dedicated when it comes to training and you can’t knock him for that because he’s always strong and tough and likes to push himself to the limit. He always spars hard and he’s looking in tremendous shape.”
“People can say what they like about his last few fights, and he hasn’t really performed well, but I think that’s down to how his opponents have been. When he fights top opposition he always boxes better but when he faces guys that people expect him to beat he doesn’t really put on the ‘A’ game that he has.”
On sparring Manny
“Manny is a tricky guy to beat. I’ve sparred with him and shared a ring with him, and he sometimes adapts quite late in a fight because the first few rounds he eases into it and sees what the opponent does and kind of breaks him down. Whereas Bradley is a bit wild and seeing him fight he goes in there with his head. Manny needs to watch his head because they are a similar size but Bradley’s game plan will be to put pressure on him, push him back and throw four or five shots at a time.”
“Speed is going to be crucial, Bradley knows Manny is fast so Bradley’s going to try and use his speed against him but I think Manny has way more ability and eventually his class will shine through. What Manny has to be wary of though is Bradley’s head and the looping shots that don’t come from far away.”
On Manny-Marquez
“You always have that one opponent that knows your style inside out. I think Marquez has that style to beat or look really good against Manny Pacquiao that’s why the last fight was so awkward.”
On fighting the winner
“I would love to fight Bradley at 147 if he somehow manages to come through. I don’t think he’s going to beat Manny, but it’s a fight that we put to him before when he was at light-welterweight and he turned it down twice. I wouldn’t face Manny because we are friends and share the same trainer and there are plenty of other big fights out there.”
On Danny Garcia and his dad
“I thought his dad acted very disrespectfully at the press conference. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and he has his opinion on me as a fighter which I’m going to prove wrong on July 14th when I beat Danny Garcia. But the way Garcia’s dad went on, even when the talking was done and we were wrapping up the press conference, was out of order. He showed no respect but I’m not going to let it affect me, it’s only going to motivate me, the only one it is going to affect is his son when I knock him out on fight night. It’s going to be a great fight and I’m hoping we can have a number of world titles on the line, we’re just waiting on the Lamont Peterson hearing which is taking place in a couple of weeks before we know what belts will be up for grabs.”
Pacquiao vs. Bradley will be shown live on Primetime, Channel 480 on Sky and Virgin On Demand, this Saturday night for only £14.95. Visit www.primetimelive.co.uk or ring 0871 200 4444.
