Manny fired up for Bradley

MANILA, Philippines - Make no mistake about it, Manny Pacquiao is pulling out all the stops to bring back the aggressiveness and killer’s instinct that were his trademarks in becoming the only fighter ever to capture world titles in eight different divisions when he battles WBO welterweight champion Timothy Bradley in a bid to regain the 147-pound throne in Las Vegas on April 12.

Pacquiao’s adviser Michael Koncz said the other day the recent press tour involving the protagonists set a dramatic stage for the rematch. Pacquiao and Bradley were in Los Angeles and New York City early this month to talk to media about their coming fight. Then, they visited the Comcast offices in Philadelphia for a meet-and-greet with employees of the world’s top mass media and communications company. Comcast is the largest cable network and home internet service provider in the US with a base of about 25 million customers.

Koncz said Bradley showed a lot of respect for Pacquiao but got on the Filipino’s case when he questioned his ability to pull the trigger during the two-city media tour. “No question, Bradley respects Manny,” said Koncz. “It’s just that Bradley thinks Manny has lost his aggressiveness and killer’s instinct, that he doesn’t like to hurt opponents anymore, that he pulls back when an opponent gets hurt. I think Manny is challenged by all that talk. He’s really motivated to show he hasn’t lost his aggressiveness and killer’s instinct. More than ever, Manny will want to prove he’s still at the top of his game against Bradley. He wants the title back. He’s focused. If he was determined to win over (Brandon) Rios, he’s more determined to win over Bradley.”

The press tour went like clockwork and Top Rank chairman Bob Arum couldn’t be happier. The fighters met the press in Beverly Hills then traveled East for another press conference in New York City. Pacquiao was interviewed by Ken Olbermann on ESPN2 and Maggie Gray of “SI Now” at the Sports Illustrated office in New York City. The Filipino icon was introduced to US paralympic sled hockey player Rico Roman, a US Army veteran who lost his left leg, during the visit to the Sports Illustrated office. He managed to squeeze into his busy schedule a game between the New York Knicks and the Portland Trail Blazers at the Madison Square Garden. Pacquiao and Koncz sat on the front row a few seats away from Spike Lee. After the game, Pacquiao met up with singer Ashanti and visited Carmelo Anthony in the Knicks lockerroom.

“I think it was the best press tour Manny’s ever been involved in,” said Koncz. “We went over to the Comcast office and spent half a day in the building, meeting employees. Manny signed autographs and posed for pictures. I think it was like a two-hour wait to get to Manny. The queue never went away. Manny accommodated everyone.”

Koncz confirmed that former heavyweight boxer Justin Fortune will be back as Pacquiao’s conditioning coach. Fortune used to work with Pacquiao until the Australian former heavyweight boxer had a misunderstanding with trainer Freddie Roach and was replaced by Alex Ariza. Fortune was supposed to re-start working with Pacquiao for the Rios bout but couldn’t make the trip to the Philippines and Macau because of commitments in the US. Fortune, 48, compiled a 15-9-2 record, with 9 KOs, as a pro and was once trained by Roach himself. His claim to fame was battling Lennox Lewis in Dublin in 1995. Fortune’s last fight was in 2009 when he was stopped in a round by Billy Zumbrun in Utah. He was Pacquiao’s conditioning coach for six years until after the Jorge Solis bout in 2007.

“Manny wanted Justin back for the Rios fight but he couldn’t come out to Asia,” said Koncz. “Team Pacquiao is happy Justin’s coming back. Manny himself asked for him. They worked well together before. Justin won’t fly over to General Santos. He’ll wait for Manny in Los Angeles.” After Fortune parted ways with Roach, he opened his own sweat shop on Sunset Boulevard about a 15-minute car ride from the Wild Card Gym in Hollywood.

Koncz said former WBO lightwelterweight champion Kendall Holt, who decked Bradley twice before losing a decision in 2009, is also waiting for Pacquiao in Los Angeles. Holt will join Pacquiao’s training camp as a sparring partner.

Koncz, who was in Macau when contacted by The Star, said Top Rank has set aside two slots for fighters recommended by Pacquiao in the April 12 card. “We’re still deciding whether or not to take the slots because we don’t want to spread ourselves too thin,” he said. “I just met with Bob (Arum) and he told me Top Rank will do three more shows in Macau and one in Singapore this year so we’ll line up our fighters for those. But it’s up to Manny. We’ll review the options.” In Macau last night, two promising Pacquiao fighters saw action – 20-year-old superfeatherweight Harmonito de la Torre of Cagayan de Oro against Indonesia’s Yakobus Heluka in a sixer and 22-year-old superflyweight Jerwin Ancajas of Panabo against Thailand’s Inthanon Sithchamuang in an eight-rounder. De la Torre’s record is 11-0, with 6 KOs, while Ancajas’ mark is 18-1-1, with 10 KOs.