Provodnikov: Pacquiao needs to be aggressive vs Bradley

MANILA, Philippines - WBO light welterweight champion Ruslan Provodnikov yesterday stressed the need for Manny Pacquiao to be aggressive as he tries to get even with former tormentor Timothy Bradley on April 12 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

The Russian knows both fighters well, having sparred with Pacquiao before and challenged Bradley for the WBO welterweight title. He knocked down the undefeated American in the 12th round of their bout in March last year but failed to finish him off, losing via decision.

Provodnikov would later rebound by stopping Mike Alvarado in the 10th round of their duel last October to win a championship. At one point, he was even considered as Pacquiao’s next opponent, but the Filipino eventually settled down with a Bradley rematch instead.

Provodnikov, for his part, would instead end up as a source of insight regarding the fight slated this April.

In an interview with Yuri Tarantin of the Russian boxing website Allboxing.ru, Provodnikov stressed that Pacquiao should press the action if he wants to avenge his loss to Bradley a couple of years ago.

“I think that if Pacquiao will not be aggressive, then we will see the same exact thing that we saw in their first fight,” he said, referring to the controversial decision that cost Pacquiao his WBO welterweight title against Bradley.

Though Pacquiao appeared to dominate the fight, he did not go for the knockout, enabling Bradley to escape with a questionable majority decision win.

The fighting congressman has promised to go all out against Bradley this time to avoid another dubious decision, and Provodnikov believes Pacquiao – whom he considers a friend – has the edge.

“That being said, Pacquiao has a slight advantage to win. On the other hand, if the fight remains close then Bradley has a good chance to win,” said Provodnikov.