Bradley: Pacquiao's troubles won't affect his performance

Tim Bradley said he does not believe that Manny Pacquiao's out-of-the-ring problems will affect the Filipino super star's ability when the two meet in the ring on June 9 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

In addition to having tax issues in relation to a complaint filed by the Philippines' Bureau for Internal Revenue, Pacquiao is being investigated for housing a fugitive who is being investigated for alleged association with a stolen car racket.

The 33-year-old Pacquiao (54-3-2, 38 knockouts) has also said that he has been encouraged by God to retire and has vowed to eliminate his gambling and womanizing vices.

"I really don't pay attention to it, but I don't think that it's going to have any kind of affect on our fight, whatever he's going through," said Bradley (28-0, 12 KOs). "It won't affect his performance. I think that he'll be full-fledged ready and there won't be any distractions. He'll be ready to face me."

"Like I said, though, I really don't know too much about what's going on with Manny, to be honest with you, I just really don't pay attention to it. I've been tending to my business. I know what's going on with Tim Bradley. I just tend to my business, and I don't know too much about what's going on with Manny."

Bradley, meanwhile, said that he plans to begin training camp with coach Joel Diaz next month.

"I'll probably do about 10 weeks for the training camp, starting in April, but I'm already in great shape because I stay in training. I work out regularly about five days a week," said Bradley.

"I just have something one day every day of the week, whether it's running, boxing or strength and conditiong, but I just make sure that I stay active and keep my body in shape and toned up."

Rated No. 8 pound-for-pound by THE RING, Bradley is coming off an eighth-round knockout of faded former lightweight champ Joel Casamayor on the undercard of Pacquiao's disputed majority decision over Juan Manuel Marquez in November.

Casamayor was the second straight southpaw Bradley has faced, with the other being over Devon Alexander for the WBC's junior welterweight belt in January of last year. 

"The Marquez fight, it really showed me a lot. Marquez has the fine ability to frustrate and to counter punch. Marquez was definitely able to lay back and to counter punch and stuff like that. He was able to isolate Pacquiao at times with solid counter punching and he was able to make Manny think in there. I think that he did very well and that he was successful," said Bradley.

"But I'm not Marquez. I bring my own flavor to the ring. I have my gameplan, and I definitely know what worked for Marquez. I'm going to try to add some of that to my arsenal, but at the end of the day, man, it's going to be about my style and what I'm planning to do. I have a plan, and my job is to go out and execute it, and if I can do that, then I'm going to be successful.

"Yeah, this is the biggest fight of my life, but this is just like every other fight that I have ever had. To me, though, but it's just a fight that I have to be ready for. I'm fighting one of the best in the world. I'm not caught up in all of the hype. It's my job to go out there and do what I need to do, and that's to dominate. That's what I do every time that I get into the ring. I'm going to get in there and I'm going to dominate."

Photo by Chris Farina, Top Rank Inc.

Lem Satterfield can be reached at lemuel.satterfield@gmail.com