Bradley endured nightmare
by Nick Giongco
LAS VEGAS – Tim Bradley had gone so desperate following the victory over Manny Pacquiao nearly two years ago that he even thought about killing himself.
Bradley, who is set to face Pacquiao in a rematch this Saturday at the MGM Grand, said he considered taking his own life as he had to endure the hurtful words people from all walks of life were hurling against him.
During a chat with a small group of reporters before the press conference, the 30-year-old Bradley said the endless criticisms over his split decision win once drove him to think about “suicide.”
“Hell, yeah. I would be sitting in bed with my wife thinking about what people were saying and writing about me and I was thinking “not only I don’t want to box anymore. I don’t even want to live anymore. It’s not worth it.”
Bradley recalled several incidents when he would go head to gas stations and fellow drivers would go up to him and talk about the Pacquiao win and he would think he had found some allies but would later find out that they were not.
“I would go into a gas station and see guys looking at me. They wouldn’t say anything to my face but as they sped away they would scream through the window that I didn’t win the fight and I should give the belt back.”
Instead of getting angry, Bradley would learn to look at it on a positive note.
“There was this one or two guys who tried to provoke me but I wasn’t going to risk a lawsuit by giving any of them a slap.”
But nothing beats an incident when Bradley would rub elbows with somebody who said that she was a fan of the US fighter.
“The funniest incident was when a lady came up to me and said she was a great fan of mine but still had to ask me when I was fighting again,” recalled Bradley.
When Bradley told her that he was set to meet Pacquiao again, “the lady wished me luck and said that she hoped that I win this time.”
But Bradley believes there’d be none of that after Saturday night.
“This is my time and this is my moment,” said Bradley, a slim 201 underdog in the scheduled 12-round world welterweight title match.
Bradley said he has noticed a considerable change in the way Pacquiao treats his opponents recently and it was obvious the Filipino is no longer the relentless puncher he once was.
“The motivation is no longer there. I don’t see the fire (in his eyes). This is one fight too late for him.”
After all is said and done, Bradley is looking forward to the day when people would look at him with the look of wonder and amazement as though he had descended down the clouds.
That’s going to be very soon, said Bradley.