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 The two boxers will be meeting for a third time, Bradley having
controversially beaten Pacquiao when they first met in 2012 but the
Filipino gained revenge in their 2014 re-match by scoring a
unanimous decision win.
Two-division world champion Bradley has since teamed up with
renowned trainer and boxing analyst Teddy Atlas, a move that he
believes has markedly improved his ring skills and fight
preparation.
"Our approach this time (against Pacquiao) is going to be way
different," Bradley said during a conference call on Wednesday. "We
have a big game plan going into this fight and I am looking closely
at Pacquiao and his weaknesses.
"I can take a lot from the first two fights. I didn't really have a
game plan for the first fight, pretty much fighting on my peer
skills and my experience, and I did pretty well in that one.
"The second fight, Pacquiao definitely won that hands down but I
suffered an injury in the second round. The fact that now I will
have a big game plan ... I think that I have a much better chance."
Asked what he had learned under the tutelage of Atlas, Bradley
replied: "I've learned a lot of things ... but the hardest thing for
me is to trust the game plan at all times in the ring, in training.
"What I mean by that is that no matter what's going on, no matter
how bad a day you're having, you always have to be focused, you
always have to be committed.
"That is enforced every single day (with Atlas). I show up to the
gym and it's total concentration, total focus all the way through,"
said Bradley (33-1-1), who knocked out fellow American Brandon Rios
in the ninth round of his last bout.
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Southpaw Pacquiao (57-6-2) has won world titles in eight different
weight classes during a stellar 20-year career but Bradley is
confident that he and Atlas have established a winning strategy for
the April 9 showdown in Las Vegas.
"We have a game plan, I just have to go out there and execute it,
just like I did against Rios," said Bradley. "I trust everything
that Teddy is telling me and teaching me. I've just got to do my
job.
"Teddy has shown me everything that I need to win this fight but if
I don't go out there and do it, then I'm not going to win this
fight.
"Manny Pacquiao pretty much does the same things, he's going to
bring the intensity, he's going to come forward, he's going to be
the Manny Pacquiao that we have always seen. He knows me but I think
I'm going to be a little different now."
(Editing by Frank Pingue)
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