Boxing News 2016: Manny Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach unimpressed with Timothy Bradley-Teddy Atlas tandem
Timothy Bradley, Manny Pacquiao’s next opponent, had a convincing win in his last fight, knocking out Brandon Rios in the ninth round of their match last November. However, Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach is unimpressed with the Bradley’s knockout win, his first under trainer Teddy Atlas.
“Bradley did what he had to do. Teddy Atlas is a good motivator, and Bradley fought a good fight. I don’t think you can give Atlas credit yet,” Roach said to The L.A. Times about the Bradley-Atlas pairing, which had their first fight against Rios.
“Teddy likes to tell stories, he’s said things to his fighters like, ‘I have your son on the line, you’re embarrassing him.’ He’s always been a real character, but I don’t think there’s any benefit for the fighter to those comments. Bradley seems to have a better motivator, so it could make for a tougher fight. But I’m not going to give Teddy credit until I see the proof first.”
Bradley was previously trained by Julio Diaz, who helped the American to two world titles, in the light welterweight and welterweight divisions. In his first fight under Atlas, Bradley notched just his 13th knockout win in his career and the first KO since knocking out Joel Casamayor in the 8th round in a bout in 2011.
Roach is famous for talking trash against future opponents of his fighters as well as their trainers including the likes of boxers Floyd Mayweather Jr. and his father and trainer Floyd Mayweather Sr., among others he had verbal altercations with in the past.
Bradley and Pacquiao will be meeting for the third time in their careers and will set up a trilogy after fights in 2012 and 2014. Bradley won the first meeting but Pacquiao took the second meeting with both fights ending via a 12-round decision.