MANNY Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley come face-to-face for the first time in two years when the two embark on a two-city media tour for their coming World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title fight on April 12 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
The press tour kicks off on February 4 at the Beverly Hills Hotel in California, marking the first time the two fighters will meet since their controversial 2012 championship match, which Bradley won behind a stunning split decision to wrest the WBO 147-lb. crown.
The event concludes when the Filipino boxing star and the unbeaten American travel to New York City for a separate press tour at the New World Stages.
The April fight will be the first for the 35-year-old Pacquiao (55-5-2, 38KOs) in the US since losing a brutal sixth-round knockout against Mexican nemesis Juan Manuel Marquez.
The loss at the hands of Bradley also ended the seven-year, 15-fight win streak of Pacquiao, the only fighter in the world to win titles in eight different divisions.
The Filipino congressman from the lone district of Sarangani, however, has been on a comeback trail since then, successfully launching his ring return in Macau last November with a dominant unanimous decision against Brandon Rios.
In contrast, Bradley has reached greater heights following his upset of Pacquiao.
Twice, he successfully defended his WBO title by scoring a unanimous decision over Ruslan Provodnikov and eking out a split decision against the ageing Marquez.
Bradley’s exciting match with Provodnikov was Fight of the Year in 2013.
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