Bob Arum prevented Manny Pacquiao vs. Terence Crawford
To this day, many are still questioning why Manny Pacquiao chose to face Timothy Bradley Jr. for the third and allegedly last time in his boxing career.
Bradley was one of three names to choose from and to this day, members of the Pacquiao fold claim that ‘Desert Storm’ was simply the best financial option.Khan was criticized for his glass jaw and lack of punching power while Terence Crawford lacked the proper following to put up the pay-per-view numbers. Bradley proved to be the best money-making option and so he was the eventual chosen one.
On the financial aspect, Pacquiao’s people took the safer route. And apparently Pacquiao was amenable to it. But was Bradley the wisest choice?
Trainer Freddie Roach mentioned via On The Ropes Boxing that they were ready to face Crawford and the Omaha native allegedly reported the same.
The only problem is that Top Rank promoter Bob Arum was singled out as a probable cause why Pacquiao vs. Crawford didn’t materialize because Roach feels that the WBO super lightweight champion was his backup plan once the eight-time division champion does retire.
“Crawford is a very good fighter. I like him a lot and so forth. But I just don’t feel he has the experience to beat Pacquiao right now. And we did say yes to that fight also, and they told us it wasn’t available. So we went to Bradley,” says Roach in the interview.
With a Pacquiao joust out of the picture, Crawford ended up facing Hank Lundy where he will be defending his title. The Crawford vs. Lundy showdown will take place on Feb. 27 at The Theater in Madison Square Garden which many feel is a mismatch.
As for Pacquiao, the Filipino takes the ring on Apr. 9 at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas. It will be his first return since undergoing surgery on his shoulder but also the last one for his career before he ventures out into politics.