Undefeated American boxer Timothy Bradley Jr. believes he's dealing with a much tougher situation in fighting Mexican legend Juan Manuel Marquez than he had more than a year ago when he eked out a controversial split decision win over former pound-for-pound champion Manny Pacquiao.
Bradley said in an interview with the Boxing Channel that Marquez proves to be a better fit for him because the Mexican is coming off a sensational TKO win over Pacquiao last December, making it a more attractive fight than a second showdown with the Filipino boxer.
"I wanted the guy that beat Manny, so I chose Marquez. He's a tougher fight [than Pacquiao] because he's full of confidence," said Bradley, who hasn't tasted defeat in 31 career fights.
Bradley added that Marquez, despite turning 40 years old next month, remains a dangerous fighter because the Mexican is full of confidence right now and might have seen something vulnerable in him during his last fight with up-and-coming Russian slugger Ruslan Provodnikov.
"He's 40 years old, but he most have seen something he can expose in the [Ruslan] Provodnikov, because before that his trainer didn't want no piece of me...this will be an opportunity for me to get the respect from boxing by beating a legend like Juan Manuel Marquez and I mean business," said Bradley.
Bradley cruised to a unanimous decision victory over Provodnikov last March, but the Russian gave him a tough fight throughout the 12-round contest and even put him in deep trouble in several occasions.
Bradley and Marquez are set to fight for the WBO Welterweight Championship on Oct. 12 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nev. Pacquiao, on the other hand, is set to face Brandon Rios on Nov. 23 at Venetian Macao in Macau, China.
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