Manny Pacquiao-Timothy Bradley fight is all about the ‘legacy’

The Manny Pacquiao-Timothy Bradley Jr. grudge match now has a championship belt at stake.

It’s not the World Boxing Organization welterweight belt that was on the line during the first two Pacquiao-Bradley fights. This one was custom-made by the WBO with the 12-carat diamond belt going to the winner of Saturday’s main event at the MGM Grand Garden.

Pacquiao and Bradley held the special belt, which is being dubbed the “legacy” title, during the final news conference Wednesday at the David Copperfield Theater inside the MGM Grand.

As WBO president Francisco “Paco” Valcarcel stepped in to take the new hardware from the fighters, Bradley couldn’t help but take a second look.

“Look at that belt,” Bradley said. “Oh, my gosh.”

Bradley (33-1-1) didn’t need a belt to understand how much a second victory over Pacquiao would boost his career. It’s merely extra motivation for the Palm Springs, California, native.

The boxer known as “Desert Storm” said he doesn’t care if he becomes a superstar like Pacquiao has in the past decade, but he wants to be remembered as one of the best in his era.

“This fight here for me is about legacy,” Bradley said. “It’s about being relevant in the sport. Even when I leave the sport, I want to be relevant. I want people to talk about me whether good or bad, but hopefully good. I want people to be admired by what I’ve been through and what I’ve overcome.”

Bradley, 32, was hardly on the map before his first fight with Pacquiao in 2012. He told reporters how small the ballrooms were in the Southern California hotels he fought in to start his career.

“I wasn’t on television; I wasn’t promoted by the best promoter,” Bradley said. “I came up the hard way. My following is not as big as I think it should be if I would have came up with the bigger promoter and got on television a lot sooner, but each fight, each step I take I just keep fighting the best fighters in the world.”

Bradley has found a home with Top Rank and announced during the news conference he signed another contract to stay with Bob Arum’s promotional company.

Pacquiao (57-6-2) has made tons of money for Arum and Top Rank in the past 10 years. With Pacquiao claiming the fight with Bradley will be the last of his decorated career, Top Rank could be left without a star.

Bradley said he’s not gunning to be the next moneymaker for Top Rank.

“I’m not projecting myself that way (as Top Rank’s next star),” Bradley said. “I don’t know what’s going to happen after this. I know that doors can open and fly open by getting this win Saturday night, but I really don’t want to think about what’s next or what’s going to happen and if I could be that next Top Rank star. I really don’t know.”

Many boxing pundits say Terence Crawford, the rising junior welterweight, is next in line to take Top Rank’s throne.

Crawford versus Bradley could be an attractive match down the road, but the close friends have said they would never fight each other.

For now, Bradley is intent on proving that his victory over Pacquiao wasn’t a fluke. Pacquiao won the second bout by unanimous decision in 2014.

Bradley admires what the eight-division champion has done in his career and even gave Pacquiao a strong endorsement during the news conference. Pacquiao is running for a seat in the Philippine senate next month.

“Manny Pacquiao has a huge following,” Bradley said. “He could fill an arena with anybody he fights. Not sure I could ever reach that status or be the next superstar in boxing, but definitely the most important, I will be remembered in the history of boxing by beating Manny Pacquiao.”

Contact Gilbert Manzano atgmanzano@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0492. Follow him on Twitter:@gmanzano24