"Manny asks for a great deal of money and Arum would prefer that Bradley beats him, because if Bradley beats him, he doesn't have to pay Bradley that type of money, and that's what he is used to," stated Manny Pacquiao's former promoter, Murad Muhammad, who shared his opinion on the WBO welterweight champion's June 9th title defense against undefeated jr. welterweight champion Timothy Bradley. According to Muhammad, when it comes to Arum, it's all about the money, and in the case of Pacquiao, his guarantees may have exceeded the Hall of Fame promoter's salary cap.
"Hell yeah, because he knows how big Bradley will be if he wins, but he will pay one-third to Bradley of what he is paying Manny, and Bradley will be happy to have it. It's all about the money," Muhammad continued in a recent interview when asked point blank if he thought Arum was hoping to get Pacquiao beat by Bradley. In fact, Muhammad is of the opinion that Arum may have picked the right man for the task. Although Muhammad has not worked with Pacquiao since the two parted ways after a bitter court battle in 2005, for the first time, he senses some doubt in the 8-division world champion leading up to the mega-fight.
"Bradley is scaring Pacquiao, because no one trains like Pacquiao, until I saw Bradley. The way that kid trains is equal, if not better than Pacquiao. Pacquiao trains like he is going to fight for twenty rounds, but it's only gonna be for 12. That's what makes him different; nobody trains like Pacquiao, but if Pacquiao saw Bradley training, he is worried," Muhammad continued. "I'm not saying Bradley is going to win the fight. I always believed that Pacquiao has power in everything he throws, but this kid can knock you out if he catches you; but he [Bradley] is relentless. You can't hurt him to the body. You have to hit him on the chin and if Pacquiao can't hit him on the chin, he ain't winning the fight. Bradley is hungry, and he is an African American with Pride...This is the first time, though, I saw a little doubt in Manny."