Abuse after Pacquiao fight nearly drove me to suicide, says Bradley ahead of rematch



Tim Bradley goes into his mega-rematch with Manny Pacquiao in Las Vegas on Saturday night after revealing that the controversy which followed the first encounter almost drove him to kill himself.

Bradley was given a decision over the Pacman which outraged the boxing world.

So intense and prolonged was the abuse to which Bradley was subjected thereafter that he described that period as 'the darkest time in my life'.

As the insults rained down upon him wherever he went in public - and were followed by a written death threat - Bradley despaired.

Dark times: Tim Bradley revealed that he nearly committed suicide after his first fight against Manny Pacquiao

The 30-year-old American said: 'Did I consider 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. This sucks. Its not worth it".'

On the eve of this second fight in which he feels 'I have to prove to everyone that I can beat Manny, even though I think I won the first fight,' Bradley said: 'What did I do wrong the first time? I came to the ring fully prepared. I did my job properly. It was a close fight which could have gone either way.

'Whatever the judges, decided it wasn't my fault. Why blame me? That's what I was getting from the world.'

On top: Bradley was awarded a controversial points decision against Pacquiao in 2012

Uproar: The decision outraged the boxing public and Bradley was subjected to abuse afterwards

Bradley and his wife Monica, who is now his manager, realised the urgent need for him to climb out of his depression.

He explained the turning point thus: 'We had to get away. Not only that but I stopped reading anything... except the bible which came in very handy.

'I realised what was important in my life. I set my mind to ignoring criticism. It doesn't offend me anymore and when I was able to laugh about it I came back to the ring.

'It has been a terrible controversy. A storm we had to survive. My wife is great, just terrific, so intelligent. She has helped me back and protected my back. Who better to look after me?'

Showdown: The American is preparing for his mega-rematch with the Pacman in Las Vegas this weekend

What Bradley describes as 'that dark cloud' began to lift when he started to see the humour in some of the abuse hurled at him.

He recalls: '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.

'One or two tried to provoke me but I wasn't going to risk a lawsuit by giving any of them a slap.

'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. When I told her I was getting back in the ring with Manny she wished me the best of luck but added that she hoped I would win this time! And that was one of my fans!'

Determined: Pacquiao trains with Freddie Roach at the Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, California

And Bradley has found the public mood slowly shifting after those two years, notably since he cleverly outpointed Juan Manuel Marquez, the Mexican who inflicted a brutal KO on Pacquiao.

Pacquiao smiled when I mentioned Bradley's confession to him and refrained from seeking to gain an advantage, saying: 'I'm not going to say how he will feel after this fight, only that my journey will continue beyond Saturday night.'