Manny Pacquiao vowed to shut Timothy Bradley's mouth when they collide again on April 12 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, but the reigning WBO welterweight champion is not unfazed.
Pacquiao recently said that he will prove to Bradley that he still has the killer instinct by going for a knockout, but Bradley said that he is not expecting something new from the former pound-for-pound king.
"I've already been in the ring with Pacquiao. I know what to expect, I know what I got to do to win the fight," Bradley told ABS-CBN News. "I know he is gonna try to bring the pressure on me. It's not gonna work. Right now, it's not gonna work. He is gonna have to definitely out-think me in there. He has to be a lot faster."
Pacquiao recently said that he is planning to be very aggressive and use his speed to his advantage in their rematch, but Bradley confidently said that he has what it takes to negate Pacquiao's speed with his wall-like defense and footwork.
"My footwork will win this fight for me, and my defense," Bradley said. "The fact that I have speed - you know, Pacquiao doesn't fight anybody with the same speed as he is. He is a quick fighter, but I'm quick too. I'm just as quick, and I'm smarter than he is."
Bradley did not earn the credit he thought he deserved after beating Pacquiao as his split-decision win over Pacquiao during their title showdown in June 2012 was hotly contested. It was even ruled inaccurate by the World Boxing Organization, but the 30-year-old California native vowed to score a convincing win this time.
"He has to be in very good shape, because like I said, I'm not gonna take no for an answer. I'm gonna win this fight," Bradley declared.
Bradley, who is coming off two-straight title defenses against Juan Manuel Marquez and Ruslan Provodnikov last year, is currently listed as an underdog in most betting odds, but the undefeated champion played down the odds.
"He was a huge favorite in the first fight. And at the end of the night, I won the fight. I beat him, and nobody was ready for it - not even the odds makers," Bradley stressed.
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