Timothy Bradley Jr., crowned WBO interim welterweight champion after winning by unanimous decision over Jessie Vargas last Saturday, said he was willing to take on Manny Pacquiao a third time.
This came out during an interview with Jenna J of On The Ropes Boxing Radio just before the bout with Vargas. "Oh absolutely, absolutely," Bradley, 31, answered when asked if he wanted to face Pacquiao again.
"Manny feels that he could have done better against Mayweather if he would have had his left hand, and I feel I would have done a lot better in the second fight if I would have had my right calf, to be able to move and do the things that I was planning on doing," he added.
Bradley and Pacquiao already met twice, with the American winning their first encounter via a controversial split decision to capture the WBO welterweight title. Bradley defended his title twice in 2013, against Ruslan Provodnikov (The Ring 2013 Fight of the Year) and Juan Manuel Marquez.
Bradley (32-1-1-1NC, 12 KOs) then faced Pacquiao (57-6-2, 38KOs) in a rematch early last year and lost by unanimous decision.
"In the second half of the fight, I could have used my legs more if I had my legs underneath me and moved and made Manny Pacquiao miss more. But I didn't have that ability. I didn't have the mobility to be able to do that," Bradley explained.
"Of course, I wouldn't mind a third matchup with Manny Pacquiao. Let's run it back. I know if I'm injury free during the course of the fight, I know it will be a better outcome," he added.
Bradley looked sharp in his last fight against Vargas and dominated the entire bout until he was stunned in the last round by a vicious overhand right from his opponent. Vargas tried to capitalize on this, but referee Pat Russell stepped in to stop the fight because he thought the clapper was the bell signalling the end of the round and the fight.
