Timothy Bradley makes his case for Manny Pacquiao rematch

Timothy Bradley doesn’t know what Manny Pacquiao is thinking as he continues to wait for the Filipino superstar to announce his next opponent, but he has a simple case to make.

“This guy can choose anyone he wants to fight, but I don’t know how he can pick anyone other than me,” Bradley told The Times Tuesday in a telephone conversation. “I’m the champion.

“If he wants his belt back, he has to come through me to get it. He relinquished it to me. Regardless of what everyone might think of how I beat him -- the controversy -- I’ve got a win on my resume over Manny Pacquiao, and it’s going in the history books that way.

“If he doesn’t want to fight me, that’s on him.”

Palm Springs’ Bradley (29-0) said he’s been told by Bob Arum, who promotes both Bradley and Pacquiao, that a Pacquiao opponent decision could happen by next Tuesday.

Pacquiao is said to be mulling Bradley, a rematch against Miguel Cotto or a fourth fight against his Mexican rival, Juan Manuel Marquez.

Bradley’s cause is diminished by two main factors

Most who watched his June 9 fight against Pacquiao believe that Pacquiao won a convincing decision, despite the scores of Nevada judges Duane Ford and C.J. Ross, who awarded Bradley a split decision.

Pacquiao-Bradley had less than 1 million pay-per-view buys -- a very disappointing number to Pacquiao and his handlers considering that the man is considered, along with Floyd Mayweather Jr., as the world’s top pound-for-pound boxer.

The NBA Eastern Conference finals “were the same night as our fight, and it was my first time on pay-per-view,” Bradley said. “First-timers on pay-per-view don’t do big numbers.

“I know boxing is a business and a sport, but as far as a rematch, we’ll meet a number everyone will be happy with, because of the controversy: ‘This time Pacquiao will beat him.’ ‘Bradley will do better.’ People know who I am now because of the controversy. Honestly, I didn’t get crazy beat in that fight. It was competitive.”

Bradley said that on Monday he’s reporting back to his Indio gym for the first time since the June 9 fight, after his broken foot and twisted ankle healed.

He said he’s prepared to seek “the next best” option to Pacquiao, if necessary. That likely won’t include the sidelined Mayweather, but could be someone like Devon Alexander or Amir Khan.

“It’s all up to Mr. Pacquiao,”Bradley said.

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