MANILA, Philippines – When Manny Pacquiao and WBO welterweight champion Jessie Vargas duke it out on the ring this November, a familiar face will be doing color commentary during the fight’s broadcast.
Top Rank Inc., which will handle the US broadcast of the fight, has tapped Timothy Bradley Jr. to provide insights as part of the panel of commentators.
Bradley is an ideal choice having fought Pacquiao and Vargas, even scoring victories over both fighters.
The Palm Springs, California-based fighter upset Pacquiao when they first clashed in 2012, then lost in their next two meetings in 2014 and April 2016. Also, Bradley is known to be the only boxer to beat Vargas, outpointing him in 2015.
“We wanted to give the viewers a different perspective that informs and entertains and I think we have accomplished that with this fantastic team,” Top Rank president Todd duBoef said in a release.
“The expert analysis from Tim will round this out perfectly as he is considered one of the best fighters in the world and has secured victories against both Pacquiao and Vargas,” he added.
Bradley, for his part, is looking forward to the task.
“It is an honor to work in collaboration with such a respected crew on a historic night for Top Rank as they host their very own pay-per-view,” Bradley said. “I hope this is the first of many to come and look forward to seeing everyone on November 5.”
Joining Bradley in the panel are renowned ESPN commentators Brian Kenny and Stephen A. Smith.
Airing the Pacquiao-Vargas fight from the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas has fallen into the hands of Top Rank Inc. after HBO – which had been broadcasting Pacquiao’s past fights – passed up on the event.
