"Bring on the needles" - Bradley

Source : Abac Cordero (The Philippine Star)

MANILA, Philippines - Timothy Bradley wouldn’t mind being served needles for breakfast.

Yes, needles.



“Absolutely. Absolutely. I would embrace it. Hey, bring on the needles,” the undefeated American told www.ringTV.com  in a recent interview.

The 28-year-old, who can become a champion bodybuilder someday, is locked in for a June 9 encounter with boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao in Las Vegas.

He talked about drug testing, random or otherwise, and said he’s ready to take them – anytime, anywhere, any way.

“You can come and check me every single day if you needed to. I would embrace a drug test any day. Any day of the week, you can come see me,” he said.

“Any day of the week that you need to. Any day, week or month of the year, you can come and drug test me.”

Random drug testing, of course, is the reason why the superfight between Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. didn’t happen the first time they tried.

Mayweather, as flamboyant as anyone can be, demanded random testing, Olympic style, meaning those in charge can knock on your door at midnight and do the testing.

Pacquiao at first refused but later on agreed as long as he’s not tested two weeks before the fight, saying blood testing so close to a fight weakens him.

The Filipino icon also said he’s scared of needles.

Instead, Freddie Roach said Pacquiao can be tested 30 minutes after a fight, arguing that if they were into something, that something would still be in the system right after the fight.

But so much disagreement has taken place that negotiations came to a screeching halt. Eventually, drug testing was no longer an issue when negotiations resumed last year.

This time, however, Mayweather refused a fifty-fifty split of the revenues, and offered Pacquiao a price the 33-year-old congressman can earn fighting someone else.

That someone else is Bradley, and on June 9 they lock horns for Pacquiao’s WBO welterweight title.

There’s no random testing stipulated under the contract, but Bradley said he’s open to it. He said he’s clean, and all his power, all his muscles, are the results of hard work.

“It’s all natural over here with Tim Bradley. Natural. God-given talent,” he said.

Bradley said he doesn’t mind if Pacquiao is or was into performance-enhancers or PEDs, as Mayweather keeps on insinuating.

“I think that it’s awesome for boxing. Having the random drug testing in effect, and the blood testing. I think that it’s great. But what guys need to realize is that those drugs really don’t help you, man.

“I don’t need any steroids. This is all natural right here. You know what I mean, man? So I’m confident in my abilities. I don’t care what you take, you won’t beat me,” Bradley told Lem Satterfield.

Pacquiao, always negative for any banned substance, is all set to begin his training, under Roach, in the mountains of Baguio City.

There’s no need for needles.