Pacquiao-Bradley III disappoints boxing fans

Manny Pacquiao will be squaring off against Timothy Bradley for the third time on April 9th at the MGM Grand on HBO in Las Vegas, NV. The public reaction to the fight was as negative as a fight could possibly get as fans made it clear that they have no interest in seeing a trilogy between the two fighters. Despite much negative outlash as rumors of the fight began to swirl weeks ago that didn't sway Top Rank for Manny Pacquiao from making the fight. The match-up was considered the best PPV option available according to Bob Arum.

The reactions of fans on public forums, Twitter, and other social media outlets make it seem as though the fight will underwhelm in the PPV market. Most say that they didn't even want to see a second fight between the two why should there be a third one. Pacquiao clearly won both fights despite losing a decision in the first fight in what many call one of the biggest robberies in boxing history.

There weren't many good options for Pacquiao though. A fight with Amir Khan would have meant making a deal with Al Haymon and the PBC. That would have proven to be complicated as Top Rank's Bob Arum continues to have problems with Al Haymon. The other option was the undefeated Terence Crawford. Crawford is the junior welterweight champion but he hasn't proven his ability to sell anywhere outside of his hometown Omaha. As good as Crawford has been he has yet to draw the type of fan base that would have any casual fan interested in buying the fight. And while a trilogy with Bradley is maybe just has hard to sell, Bradley's new trainer Teddy Atlas and Pacquiao coming back from a shoulder injury might intrigue some enough to buy the fight.

Without a doubt Pacquiao-Bradley III is a fight no one cares to watch. However, with ESPN trying their hardest to not let a Mayweather-Pacquiao rematch die, the return of Pacquiao after a shoulder injury might prompt ESPN to cover the fight more than they normally would. That could allow for more fans to tune into the fight come fight night. Most will expect the same result as the first two fights. Pacquiao is however coming off an injury and has shown his lack of motivation for boxing as retirement looms after this fight. One thing you can always expect in boxing is the unexpected. Come fight night, maybe boxing fans will change their minds as to how much they actually want to see the fight mainly to see how Pacquiao looks coming off the Mayweather loss.