Pre-fight distractions won’t bother Pacquiao, says Bradley’s trainer

Nissi Icasiano

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Pre-fight distractions won’t bother Pacquiao, says Bradley’s trainer
Distractions are just a part of what makes him Manny Pacquiao, says Teddy Atlas

MANILA, Philippines – Although Manny Pacquiao is pestered by numerous distractions as he prepares for his third encounter against Timothy Bradley Jr. on April 9, Teddy Atlas believes they will not affect the Filipino boxing icon’s rubber match with his pupil. 

Pacquiao, a senatorial candidate in the upcoming elections, had a troublesome first phase of training camp in his hometown of General Santos City. The 37-year-old pugilist dropped out of the magic 12 in the most recent Pulse Asia survey with less than two months before the May 9 election date, due in part to his controversial comments on same-sex marriage.

Atlas does not expect any of these issues to impact Pacquiao when he steps into ring with Bradley, asserting that it has been part of the Pinoy southpaw’s 21-year prizefighting career. 

“I don’t think it’ll impact him in any negative ways at all. I go by what there’s a precedent to go by. I go by history, by what’s tangible. And he’s had distractions and if you want to call it chaos sometimes, but definitely a lot of things swirling around him throughout most of his career,” he said in an interview with BoxingScene.com

Aside from being a boxer and a politician, Pacquiao has ventured into different fields, including basketball, show business and evangelical ministry.

“And whether it was politics, whether it was singing, whether it was some personal situations he was going through that everybody goes through, whether it was religious thoughts and growth so to speak, whether it was all the pulls on him because he’s an iconic figure in his country, where he gets all that attention you could never get here for one fighter. He has always dealt with that. It’s never impacted him,” Atlas stated.

According to Atlas, Pacquiao draws shades of comparison with Floyd Mayweather Jr as both men thrive on their hectic schedule.

“Floyd was a guy who always had distractions, who always had stuff going on in his life that might distract somebody else. But at the end of the day, it did not [distract] him from what he was doing. And it always showed that it didn’t. I feel like Pacquiao is the same kind of person in that way, where he’s able to handle all these things and still keep his eye on the prize and what he has to do in that ring,” he shared. – Rappler.com

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